The Vikings offense never found its groove in enemy territory.

Minnesota's run game started out strong, averaging 6-plus yards per carry, but the Vikings played from behind for most of the game and simply couldn't get anything going through the air.

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell spoke with media members following the 23-6 Border Battle loss in Green Bay, noting the team did not play "in any way, shape or form" its standard of football.

"You're not going to come to Lambeau Field and win a game, especially playing like that in the second half," O'Connell said.

Green Bay's defense affected J.J. McCarthy all afternoon, heavily pressuring the QB in his sixth NFL start. Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt sacked McCarthy twice apiece, and Isaiah McDuffie split a takedown with rookie Warren Brinson.

McCarthy faced even more heat from the Packers front after Christian Darrisaw (foot) and Donovan Jackson (ankle) left the game with injuries in the second half. The Vikings quarterback never quite looked comfortable in the pocket and was picked off twice in the fourth quarter. McDuffie snagged the first one with 7:36 left to play, nabbing the takeaway on the first play of Minnesota's series. Four minutes later, McCarthy attempted to connect with Jalen Nailor over the middle and was intercepted by safety Evan Williams.

McCarthy finished the game just 12-of-19 passing for 87 yards and no touchdowns. His passer rating was 34.2.

"It sucks," McCarthy said to open his postgame press conference. "Credit to them, they executed better than us all day today and had a great game plan — and executed that game plan better than we did.

"I've got to be better," he added. "I've got to do a lot of things better."

The Vikings got on the board first Sunday, thanks to a 52-yard field goal by Will Reichard, but never got back on top. The kicker later hit a 59-yarder to give Minnesota its second set of points for the day, becoming the only player in NFL history with four 59-plus-yard field goals in a single season.

Center Ryan Kelly returned to action after suffering two concussions early in the season that landed him on Injured Reserve. He noted after the game that while he felt he had a solid game back, "there's a play or two I wish I could have taken back and done more to get us in the end zone."

Early in the second quarter, the Vikings moved the ball to the Green Bay 17 and faced a third-and-1. They attempted a sneak with T.J. Hockenson, snapping the ball directly to the tight end, but McDuffie stuffed Hockenson behind the line. O'Connell opted to keep the offense on the field rather than sending Reichard out; unfortunately, the Packers stopped Jordan Mason to force a turnover on downs.

Even without those points, the Vikings entered halftime trailing just 10-6. But things went downhill quickly in the final two quarters of the game.

"You're thinking a defensive stop and then having a chance to go possibly take the lead there in the third quarter, and then the game can kind of stay where you want it," O'Connell said. "And we just can't quite get to that point without having some things happen around J.J. or some variance to having a young quarterback in there, and when you're playing a good defense — just understanding timing and pockets and things like that, getting the ball out, the power of completions.

"It's still definitely a work in progress for sure, but I still believe he's absolutely under control from a play-call standpoint," O'Connell continued. "There's little things that happen, like the quarterback getting tripped up on a play pass where you might have a look at something, or maybe the dialogue in the huddle, making sure all 11 are on the same page. There's little things that come up here and there that just continue to limit your chances of having ultimate successful — enough against a good defense to go put point on the board."

After putting up 86 yards rushing through the first two quarters, the most they've had in a first half all season, the Vikings totaled just 93 on the day.

Aaron Jones, Sr., finished with nine carries for 41 yards; Mason's stats were nearly identical, with 42 yards on eight attempts. And even though the offense moved the ball more effectively early on, Minnesota still was just 2-of-9 on third-down attempts.

"No matter what you do running the football, if we can't continue to get those new sets of downs, we've gotten then have the marriage of the run and pass then come to life," O'Connell said.

In the second half, the Vikings totaled 4 net yards.

"It's certainly one of those things where you get behind the chains and the next thing you know, you're passing and passing," Kelly said. "We just couldn't get ourselves together. I think we had some spurts there where we were pass-blocking really well, but there are some things I'll look at myself and say, 'I could do better here, I could help us better here,' and everybody just [has to do] a little bit more."

Though there were "some chances" here and there, O'Connell said, the Vikings margin of error "is clearly pretty razor thin right now."

Minnesota's second-straight divisional loss brings its record to 4-7 on the season, with a road trip to Seattle next up.

O'Connell and McCarthy each expressed a continued commitment to fixing mistakes and staying the course. Asked about keeping McCarthy's confidence up, O'Connell emphasized it's "all about his preparation" between games and seeing each outing as its own entity.

"We're going to need our quarterback to have the best week of preparation out of anybody on our team," O'Connell said. "But we also need all the other phases of our team, and the other guys in that huddle with him, to do the same.

"When we find improvement, when we find consistent examples of it, let's not be in a position where we're ever going to be a team that celebrates that short-term success," he added. "We're going to be a team that needs to just continue to press onward and execute even better."

Though McCarthy didn't mince words at the podium, the 22-year-old did remain poised.

He noted confidence remains high thanks to a Vikings locker room that has supported him through these early valleys.

"Because of the guys in that room, because of the trust and faith in my abilities, and you know, we've just got to put things together," McCarthy said. "We've got to keep putting days together, plays together and execute better."

Asked how he's able to keep his emotions in check and keep things mentally from "snowballing," McCarthy pointed out there's never a more important time to stay composed and stay together as a team.

"I just don't think emotions are going to do anything good for us," he said. "It's not going to help us execute, to play better. So we just have to understand where the issues are, where the problems are, and fix it."

View the 2025 Vikings Schedule.

See the Vikings 2026 Opponents.

Check out the Vikings 2026 Draft Picks.

View future opponents for the Vikings.

Buy single game tickets.

Download the official Vikings App.