“People ask ‘what are y’all doing?’ Even I don’t know sometimes.”
Linebacker Jonathan Greenard may make light of the Minnesota Vikings’ superb start to the NFL season.
But a lot of thought and effort has gone into helping the Vikings defy the odds and become one of just two teams to remain unbeaten after five games – along with last season’s Super Bowl winners Kansas City.
According to the pre-season odds, 22 teams were deemed to have a better chance of reaching the Super Bowl than 100-1 Minnesota.
So after holding on for a 23-17 win over the New York Jets in London on Sunday, many are wondering how and why the Vikings have become the feel-good story of the season so far.
The Vikings’ organisation was rocked by the death of rookie Khyree Jackson in the off-season before they lost rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy to a season-ending knee injury, but Kevin O’Connell’s team have used that adversity as inspiration.
Speaking to BBC Sport before Sunday’s win, O’Connell explained that Jackson’s loss has “allowed us to focus and have a reality check of nothing is given. We understand how blessed and fortunate we are to do this on a daily basis”.
When he became the Vikings’ head coach in February 2022, O’Connell aimed to build an environment where players would “come to work every day excited”.
Speaking after Sunday’s win, both linebacker Andrew van Ginkel and safety Camryn Bynum said how they are playing “a kid’s game” and having fun.
For the third week running, Bynum had a pre-planned celebration ready, and when he intercepted Aaron Rodgers in the first quarter, he and Josh Metellus replicated the handshake from The Parent Trap movie,, external which is set in London.
Then when fellow safety Harrison Smith sacked Rodgers in the second quarter, he copied Rodgers’ championship belt celebration.
“We have a special job and never take that for granted,” said Bynum, 26.
“It’s crazy. We’re just a bunch of kids that made it to the NFL and we still feel like kids, so we’re like, we’ve got to capture this moment.”
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