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.

Related: WATCH J.J. McCarthy throw a deep ball for his first of many NFL touchdowns