MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on Oct. 11, 2022.
After notching their fourth win of the season and third straight, the Minnesota Vikings are back on the road in week six and will fly to Miami to take on the Dolphins.
Against the Dolphins (3-2), Minnesota (4-1) will continue to work on its offense, which is starting to take shape under new head coach Kevin O'Connell.
“We’ve got a long way to go, five games in, but we’re really seeing some of our philosophy come to life,” the first-year head coach said.
Last week in the friendly confines of U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings rallied late to beat the Chicago Bears 29-22. Quarterback Kirk Cousins, who finished the game 32 of 41 for 296 yards passing, led a touchdown-scoring drive with less than 2:30 left in regulation. Star wide receiver Justin Jefferson ended the divisional matchup with 12 catches for 154 yards.
"I think we've just shown flashes of consistency in games within drives, long drives that you're seeing a little bit everything, marriage that run and the pass, I think we've been able to establish some foundations in our run game that's allowed us to have some things off of those things," O'Connell said Wednesday. "To apply pressure defense, you're seeing Kirk kind of control a lot at the line of scrimmage and get to our whole offense at the line of scrimmage. And that's really what we want to be. It's going to take ebbs and flows throughout the season."
“The scheme is one thing, but what allows a lot of that to come to life is my comfort not only in Kirk as our quarterback, but those guys up front to give him enough time, and then our guys’ execution," O'Connell said after the Bears game.
Cousins explained during Wednesday's press conferences that the team prepares for scenarios like last week's late rally.
"You walk through it, you talk about it, you have meetings, you see clips of where it went poorly for a team, you see clips of where the team handled it well," he said. "And you just keep, you know, sort of marinating on all those topics and then it eventually soaks in."
For Miami native and Florida State University product running back Dalvin Cook, playing on the road against the Dolphins will be a homecoming of sorts for him.
"I've been playing in that stadium since I was back in high school. Big games that overpopulate our high school stadium that we play at, we just move it on over there. And we got quite a few games in the stadium so I'm familiar with the stadium and how everything is set up, the environment," he said Wednesday.
Cook and the rest of the Vikings don't get the chance to play in Miami very often so Cook is planning on soaking it in as much as possible.
"This is what I dreamed about. This is kids' dream, just living in it, trying to take advantage at a moment and you know me, I just like to have fun," Cook said. "So I try to enjoy the moment because you don't get these [days] back. We only play Miami every so years so got to take advantage of these type of games."
The Vikings' defense will likely have to prepare for a rookie quarterback under center for Miami after starter Tua Tagovailoa and his backup and former Minnesota starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, went out due to concussion protocol. Seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson from Kansas State finished in Bridgwater's stead with 19 of 33 for 166 yards last week.
O'Connell said on Wednesday that he'll be looking at the Dolphins' offense as a whole and what type of offense that they run when he prepares for an opposing rookie quarterback.
"I just look at this team as you know, regardless of who's playing quarterback," he explained. "You got to play with a great plan to try to limit the explosive plays while also being great against the run because they're gonna have a great scheme to be able to take advantage of your alignments and we got to fly around, we got to play get assignment football."
Cook said the team will still prepare as if they are facing an imposing quarterback, and with friends and family there, they'll have to play well.
"I think as pros, you gotta prepare the same way because it's a NFL quarterback, no matter what's going on," he explained. "They can still throw the rock, they still could do what they need to do. So we got to prepare like we're facing the number one. I know this locker room and his team we're gonna do that."
The Vikings' cross-conference matchup against the Dolphins kicks off at noon CT on Sunday, Oct. 16 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
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