Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell gets the monkey off his back in preseason win vs. Raiders

The Minnesota Vikings found a way to get the monkey off of head coach Kevin O'Connell's back on Saturday afternoon with a 24-23 win over the Las Vegas Raiders when rookie kicker Will Reichard hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired.

Going into the game, O'Connell had yet to win a preseason game as a head coach. He had gone 0-6 in the prior two preseason games.

2022:

Las Vegas 26, Minnesota 20
San Francisco 17, Minnesota 7
Denver 23, Minnesota 13

2023:

Seattle 24, Minnesota 13
Tennessee 24, Minnesota 16
Arizona 18, Minnesota 17

Preseason wins and losses don't mean a lot in the grand scheme of things. However, football players and coaches are big competitors. Winning is always a positive for your organization, even in the preseason.

The highlight of the game was rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He threw for 181 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He was arguably the MVP of the game with his performance.

Next up for the Vikings are joint practices and a preseason game in Cleveland with the Browns.