Just a year after a 9-game winning streak, the Minnesota Vikings ‘ locker room is fracturing under the weight of a 4-6 start, turning a season of high hopes into a desperate struggle for survival. For Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings, the enemy isn’t just on the opposing sideline; a growing pressure within their own walls threatens to derail the season before their quarterback can even find his footing.

After the Week 8 loss, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reported that “underlying tension” has been present since the spring. He said the team does not feel like the same connected, energetic group from previous years. The coaches sense it. The players sense it. According to Lewis, the usual calm, positive tone Kevin O’Connell brings has not carried over this season. The team’s vibe feels tight and uneasy, and it shows in their play.

Injuries have played a major role. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s ankle sprain forced him out for weeks. Carson Wentz stepped in, but he later suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Kevin O’Connell has not managed injuries carefully, and it has forced him to make major changes. It might start with quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft, as they hold eight picks for the year, potentially starting from pick 12.

All of this increases the pressure on McCarthy. The plan was to develop him slowly. But now the Vikings need him to return, grow quickly, and keep their season alive. They built the roster and offense around him. At 4–6, they need him to steady a team that is losing confidence. But the head coach wants his players to focus on the coming games.

“That’s the one thing about our place is, we build it the way we do, so we obviously will persevere and continue to work,” he told reporters on November 21.

However, the underlying tension also sits in the gap between what the team wants and what O’Connell believes the team needs, and that pressure is shaping every move he makes. On one side, the team is restless and wants immediate change after weeks of sloppy accuracy, turnovers, and missed chances. On the other hand, O’Connell feels a responsibility to protect McCarthy’s growth, even when the results look ugly.

So instead of benching him or flipping the play-caller, he’s doubling down on development because he knows pulling the plug too early could stunt the quarterback he’s trying to mold. At the same time, that tension is forcing him to tighten the coaching details-mechanics, decision-making, early-game consistency, because he knows he can’t just “stay the course” without proving he’s actively fixing the issues.

“There’s a good energy in the building today of guys understanding we’re just going to stay the course and continue to improve and attack this thing, knowing that we don’t have a lot of time left,” O’Connell said. “But we do have what it takes to win football games in our locker room and on our team and that’s what we’re going to put everything we have into doing against the Green Bay Packers.”

The Vikes visit the Green Bay Packers in Week 12. Their margin for error is gone. But for that to happen, they need to work on the fundamentals. Their sophomore QB’s technique has several flaws.

Kevin O’Connell needs to work on his QB’s technique

In 5 games this year, the signal caller has completed 74 of 140 passes (52.9% completion rate). He ranks last among the 36 NFL QBs with a minimum of 140 pass attempts. The second-worst QB, rookie Cam Ward, has a much better completion record at 58.4%. Executive producer Greg Cossell pointed out J.J. McCarthy’s flaws on the November 21 episode of the Ross Tucker Podcast.

“He is what we call a locked front leg thrower. When he steps into his throw, his front leg locks. That stops your lower half from moving forward…So what happens is there’s no core torque. There’s no weight transfer. When he throws, he ends up kind of whipping his back leg when he throws the ball because there’s no core torque, no weight transfer.” Cossell Pointed out. “So what that leads to, two things. Number one, it leads to less than precise ball location, which we’ve seen consistently. And on certain throws, not every throw, it leads to a drop in velocity.”

Well, the sophomore showed great arm strength in the 2024 combine when he threw a pass at 61 mph. But when it comes to the games, he hasn’t shown the same talent. Even Kevin O’Connell agrees that they have plenty of work left in improving the QB’s skills.

“There’s a major emphasis right now on pre, during, and post-practice of just continuing to hammer home the techniques and the fundamentals. And he’s had some great examples of it throughout the week. Threw the ball really well,” the head coach said.

It comes down to a simple outcome. The Vikes need to go on a winning spree to qualify for the playoffs. Otherwise, expect some major overhaul next year.