Vikings finally beat the bullies in the trenches

Whether inside the teamwide huddle on the practice fields at TCO Performance Center in Eagan or within position groups like the offensive line, Vikings players discussed bringing a fight to Monday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Right tackle Brian

O’neill is one of the Vikings veterans who has been around long enough to get beaten down by a San Francisco organization that handed the Vikings a 1-3 record in four meetings between 201521. The 49ers also brought a physical and chirpy edge to joint practices in August 2022 that stuck with Vikings players.

This time, they wanted to “meet the bully in the middle of the schoolyard,” O’neill said after his group became the first offensive line to not allow a sack against the 49ers this season in the Vikings’ 2217 win.

“I felt like they talked a little bit too much when we played them in training camp last year — some late hits on our guys, trying to play the bully ball,” O’neill said. “You meet the bully in the middle of the schoolyard, and you hash it out. That’s what we did.”

“There’s a little bit extra there, just knowing who they have, being that good,” he added. “It was fun. Just the fight is fun in games like that.”

Linebacker Jordan Hicks delivered a similar message to the Vikings defense.

After a practice last week, head coach Kevin O’connell called on Hicks, a team captain, to break down the post-practice huddle. Hicks pulled from his three seasons in the NFC West. The former Cardinals starter rallied teammates against his former division foe by saying he was tired of hearing about their strength and power.

“Especially going into a game like this,” Hicks said. “When that’s all you’re hearing, right? About how physical they are? Forget that. We’re the physical team. We’re going to take it to them and they have to deal with us.”

“When teams walk away from our games,” he added, “we want them to say, ‘That was a physical game. We feel beat up.’”