The 2025 season isn't what the Minnesota Vikings had in mind after going 14-3 last year.
Entering Sunday, the Vikings had lost four straight games, falling to 4-8 with playoff hopes very low heading into a contest against the Washington Commanders. But when the clock hit zero at U.S. Bank Stadium, the scoreboard read 31-0 in favor of the home team.
The Vikings looked like their dominant selves from a season ago, and a pregame message from head coach Kevin O'Connell could be a main reason why.
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Defensive captain Harrison Smith was choked up in the Vikings' locker room after snapping their four-game win streak, where he told FOX 9 KMSP that O'Connell wanted his team to channel their high school selves. It's a relevant message because, when playoff chances are slim toward the end of a season, players will sometimes ease off the gas pedal.
O'Connell reminded his players of those days when the NFL was only a dream, and Smith's fellow defenders Josh Metellus and Andrew Van Ginkel felt it was perfect heading into their latest game at home.
"As soon as KO said it, I whispered under my breath, 'Go get it,'" Metellus told Fox News Digital after he and Van Ginkel helped Raising Cane's donate 100 children's bikes to the Boys & Girls Club of The Twin Cities in Minneapolis on Monday. "That's what I would tell myself right now if my 16-year-old self was talking to me right now. 'Go get it. Leave it all on the line and whatever happens, happens.'
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"That's how I've been my whole career to this point, and KO brought me back to that moment. That was really special."
For Metellus, O'Connell's message brought back those high school days when he wasn't being as heavily recruited as teammates at Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He would eventually get the chance to play for the Michigan Wolverines, but Metellus went into each Friday night game saying the same thing to himself.
Go get it.
"I think, for me especially, hearing that message, I've had a different path to success than a lot of guys have had. I was just thinking in high school, 16 years old and no offers and playing with a bunch of guys who were really good, highly recruited. Always going into it and telling myself on a Friday night, 'Just got get it. Whatever you want to do, just go get it,'" Metellus explained. "I knew everything I wanted was out in front of me. I've heard the stories, I've seen guys' success stories, and I just applied myself and went out and got it. I always knew I would be where I wanted to be."
When Van Ginkel heard the message, he flashed back to his high school days at Rock Valley Community in Iowa.
"It's huge just because we've been playing this game, a lot of us since elementary and middle school. Back in those days, you would dream about going on to play college football, going on to play in the NFL," he said. "To play against [Commanders star] Jayden Daniels, who is an elite quarterback, stepping back on that field and being in the NFL is a big deal and something we shouldn't take lightly because it could be taken away in the blink of an eye. Always be out there with excitement and joy, and just remember your younger self would die to do this."
Van Ginkel played a vital role in the victory, intercepting Daniels after perfectly reading a screen pass on fourth down in Vikings' territory.
At 5-8, the Vikings have very little hope still to reach the playoffs, but they're still living the dream. That's what O'Connell wanted to remind his team about, and that's what Smith was emotional about.
It's safe to say the Vikings will finish these remaining four games playing like it's their last each week because, as these two both said, the NFL is never promised.
Make the best of the time you have playing the game you love.
GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Metellus and Van Ginkel enjoyed impacting some of the children in their Minneapolis community, as they partnered with Raising Cane's for its sixth annual bike giveaway.
The gift of some holiday cheers, and new wheels for these children to ride around on, is bigger than last year as Raising Cane's is giving away more than 4,000 bikes nationwide compared to last year's 2,500.
"The event was awesome," Van Ginkel said. "You see the smiles on the kids' faces, and any way that we can bring joy and excitement this holiday season and give back to the Boys & Girls Club, it's special to me. It means a lot and we thank Raising Cane's for donating these 100 bikes, and they said they donate 4,000 across America. So, it means a lot and I'm excited to be a part of it."
Metellus added: "I think it's great for Raising Cane's to just bless these kids with the opportunity to receive a bike and to know that the community cares about them. There's people that care about furthering their development in this world. To be a part of this is always special. The way I was brought up, I always appreciate these things, especially around the holiday season."
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