EAGAN, Minn. — As good as he is with Xs and Os, Kevin O'Connell's culture building is also strong.

It's why Harrison Smith got a little choked up after his 203^rd regular-season game and cited words shared by the Vikings head coach with players in a team meeting Saturday eve as the driving force of a 31-0 win.

O'Connell expressed his appreciation for Smith and his receptiveness of the coach's motivation tactics after the dominant performance in Week 14 when he met with Twin Cities reporters Monday afternoon.

"For a guy like Harrison and the football career he's had, to have a message like that resonate with him, that's what you're in this position to do, is try to — week-in-and-week-out, no matter what — find a way to reach your team," he said earnestly. "That's really what I strive to do in this position. And, regardless of what the previous week or weeks have been like, or what the noise may be out there, I have a very important job that I take very seriously due to those players and the love that I have for those guys."

O'Connell, 40, and Smith, 36, aren't just neighbors in age. O'Connell's recommendation to players to play for the 16-year-old version of themselves hit home because he and Smith share an extreme love for the game.

On Sunday against Washington — the 50^th Vikings regular-season win at U.S. Bank Stadium — Smith nabbed his 38th career interception, drawing him closer to third place in the org's record books.

"I've made no secret of him being one of my all-time favorite people in the league that I've been able to be around — not just players," O'Connell said. "I mean, his playing career speaks for itself. His impact on the game yesterday speaks for itself. But just any moment that I get with him, whether it's Friday mornings in the 1-on-1 setting, or throughout the week [on the] practice field, whatever it is, I don't take a single one for granted. … He makes me a better coach. He makes me have a unique connection to this team through a guy that's seen and done basically everything in this league you can possibly do — winning teams, teams that have had to endure through struggle, all the different kinds of teammates, and he still finds a way to relate, at this point in his career, to even the youngest guy in the locker room."

Smith is someone who "means the absolute world" to O'Connell – and is a unique teacher to the coach.

"He's got such a unique perspective that sometimes, as you wade through the waters of a season – it might be something that I'm thinking about, but maybe not necessarily connecting the dots the way he can, from his perspective as a player and a captain and a guy that has led, in his way, you know?" O'Connell shared. "We all can probably agree that he's authentically Harry, and that's a really good thing for all of us to be around. And I know, selfishly, for me, I'm trying to soak up every moment of that I can."

Here are four more takeaways from O'Connell's media session:

1. McCarthy's execution

The film review confirmed to O'Connell that J.J. McCarthy had a "really positive day."

Overall, O'Connell liked McCarthy's decisiveness and accuracy. He highlighted the QB's timing on a scoring pass to Josh Oliver — the duo were the start and end points for two of McCarthy's three TD throws — and praised McCarthy's handling of third downs on Minnesota's 12:01 possession that started with 2:42 to go in the first quarter and featured a Jordan Mason TD run on the 19^th play with 5:41 left in the half.

McCarthy eluded a sack and scooted for 7 yards on a third-and-6 from the Vikings 6 early in that sequence and then converted three more third downs with throws of 12, 21 and 13 yards to three different players. Ultimately, he connected on 5 of 6 attempts for 53 yards on the franchise's longest drive in terms of time elapsed since at least 2001 (11:34 vs. Carolina on Sept. 21, 2008, is next closest).

O'Connell also applauded McCarthy's execution on the "sneaky long drive" toward the end of the game.

The 22-year-old went 4-for-5 passing with 36 yards as Minnesota used a balanced attack, incorporating less heralded players such as RB Zavier Scott and WR Tai Felton, and controlled the ball for the final 7:53.

2. Jefferson's big impact

You wouldn't know based on his stats – two catches (four targets) for 11 yards – but Vikings WR Justin Jefferson was an important piece of Sunday's shutout, encouraging teammates and leading by example.

After one play, the phenom was spotted clapping his hands and pointing at McCarthy as if to say good job when the QB progressed from Jefferson, who was his first read, to Jordan Addison for a completion.

O'Connell said the receiver's approval was another illustration of his positive influence on the offense.

"I've tried to say this as many times as I possibly can, he has been elite from a leadership standpoint, character standpoint, being one of our captains and guys that drives this organization," he emphasized. "That's no matter what the look on his face has been, that's no matter what the statistical columns say.

"I can't say enough about him," the coach added. "That's been kind of a very unique topic, and it's been a unique year for him when you consider what the previous [five] have been like. But I was not surprised, and I had the same reaction on the play, so I guess that makes him a coach on the field in a lot of ways."

It's true Jefferson's 2025 numbers have taken a hit. He has eight catches for 63 yards since Nov. 23, and he is averaging career lows in receptions (4.9), yards (62.3) and touchdowns (0.15) per game. But his impact has not dipped if you consider the defensive attention he garners and how he's acted as a leader.

3. Tip of the cap to o-line performance

The Vikings five original offensive line starters were able to play the entirety of a game together for the first time Sunday. (Note: The Vikings did sub out Christian Darrisaw in the fourth quarter after Minnesota had gained a substantial lead, but he did not leave the game with an injury.)

O'Connell noted the impact of having a healthy Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries and Brian O'Neill on the field at the same time — as well as Oliver and C.J. Ham's contributions in the blocking game.

"We were consistently getting some knock-back into the defensive front and getting the run started," O'Connell said. "I thought our backs were really decisive. Both Aaron [Jones, Sr.] and J.P. (Jordan Mason) ran really hard; they had great vision; they found the space. And our receivers continue to do a phenomenal job against teams where in many ways, historically, if we're seeing safeties activating in the front the way they started to, we might go to a different area on the call sheet — but we kept on being consistent with being efficient in the run game, which was everything to us."

O'Connell recognized the effectiveness of the run game, which generated 162 yards on the ground.

He tipped his cap to the offensive line group whose time on task has, because of injuries, occurred mainly in practice and not in games.

"You can feel the communication of Ryan Kelly was phenomenal. Brian O'Neill was phenomenal again," O'Connell said. "C.D. in there for, up until we pulled him out at the end with some of the other guys, you felt him from a physicality standpoint. And then for Donnie, for having worked through an injury that might hold guys out for a couple weeks … did everything he possibly could and then played well in the game to go along with Will."

4. Gink' 'The Unicorn'

During Sunday's postgame media availability, Jonathan Allen referred to Andrew Van Ginkel as a "unicorn" because of his unique skill set.

Allen noted not only "Gink's" athleticism but also his ability to process plays as they unfold. Asked about the comments, O'Connell concurred and elaborated.

"It's not only the post-snap of what he sees and reacts to — it's the pre-snap understanding. He knows our call. He knows his job in the call. He knows what might be the response to what we are bringing in … where he's aligned, offensive formation, what types of plays he can get," O'Connell said. "He's processing all that information in real time.

"That then allows the ball to be kind of 'moving slower' for him when he's been able to make a play on those types of throws multiple times since he's been here, and he's been really close on a bunch of other ones."

It's not easy to do.

But it's also not only the flashy plays that Van Ginkel excels in. He often makes an impact bigger than the average fan might see.

"There's random second downs where he just makes a super instinctive tackle or ends up saving a gain to keep it to 3 or 4 yards," O'Connell said. "He does so many things that you have to really take the time to appreciate him."

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