NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The 2025 season is not what the Minnesota Vikings had in mind after going 14-3 last year.
As of Sunday, the Vikings had lost four straight games, falling to 4-8 with very low playoff hopes heading into a game against the Washington Commanders. But when the clock hit zero at US Bank Stadium, the scoreboard read 31-0 in favor of the home team.
The Vikings looked like they did a season ago, and a pregame message from head coach Kevin O’Connell might be a big reason why.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) celebrates after sacking Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) in the second quarter on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, at Lumen Field in Seattle. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Defensive captain Harrison Smith was choked up in the Vikings’ locker room after ending their four-game winning streak, where he told FOX 9 KMSP that O’Connell wanted his team to channel his high school self. It’s a relevant message because when playoff chances are slim toward the end of a season, players sometimes take their foot off the gas.
O’Connell reminded his players of the days when the NFL was just a dream, and Smith’s fellow defenders, Josh Metellus and Andrew Van Ginkel, thought it was perfect before their final home game.
“As soon as KO said it, I muttered under my breath, ‘Go get it,'” Metellus told PK Press Club 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 say to myself right now if my 16-year-old self was talking to me right now. ‘Go get him. Leave everything on the line and whatever happens, happens.’
COMMANDERS’ JAYDEN DANIELS TAKES HIT AFTER INTERCEPTION, INJURIES SHOULDER
“That’s how I’ve lived my whole career so far, and KO took me back to that moment. It was really special.”
For Metellus, O’Connell’s message recalled the days in high school when he wasn’t as heavily recruited as his teammates at Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He would eventually get a chance to play for the Michigan Wolverines, but Metellus told himself the same thing every Friday night game.
Joshua Metellus of the Minnesota Vikings stands on the field before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
Go get it.
“I think, for me in particular, hearing that message, I took a different path to success than a lot of guys took. I was just thinking about high school, 16 years old and no offers, and playing with a group of guys who were really good, highly recruited. I would always go there and be like on Friday night, ‘I just did that. Whatever you want to do, go get it,” Metellus explained. “I knew everything I wanted was in front of me. I heard the stories, I saw the guys’ successes, 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 recalled his high school years at Rock Valley Community in Iowa.
“It’s huge just because we’ve been playing this game, a lot of us since grade school and high school. At that time, we dreamed of going on to play college football, to play in the NFL,” he said. “Play against [Commanders star] Jayden Daniels, who is an elite quarterback, taking a step back from 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 enthusiasm and joy, and just remember that your younger self would die to do this. »
Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX News, Sports and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. Offer ends January 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
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 still have very little hope of reaching the playoffs, but they are still living the dream. That’s what O’Connell wanted to remind his team, and that’s why Smith was emotional.
It’s safe to say that the Vikings will finish these four remaining games playing like it’s their last every week because, as these two said, the NFL is never promised.
Make the most of the time you spend playing the game you love.
GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Metellus and Van Ginkel enjoyed making an impact on some children in their Minneapolis community, partnering with Raising Cane’s for its sixth annual bike competition.
The gift of some holiday cheer and some new wheels for these kids to get around on is bigger than last year, as Raising Cane’s is giving away more than 4,000 bikes nationwide, up from 2,500 last year.
Josh Metellus and Andrew Van Ginkel smile with a child at the Raising Cane’s Holiday Bike Giveaway in Minneapolis on December 8, 2026. (raising the cane)
“The event was great,” Van Ginkel said. “You see the smiles on the kids’ faces, and all the ways we can bring joy and excitement this holiday season and give back to the Boys & Girls Club, that’s special to me. It means a lot and we thank Raising Cane’s for donating these 100 bikes, and they said they’re donating 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 give these kids the opportunity to receive a bike and know that the community cares about them. There are people who care about continuing their development in this world. To be a part of that is always special. The way I was raised, I always appreciate those things, especially around the holiday season.”
