If the Vikings falling woefully short of their lofty expectations this season has proven anything, it’s that Kevin O’Connell isn’t impervious to poor play at the most important position in all of sports.

The whisperer is currently inaudible.

J.J. McCarthy is off to a historically bad start to his career under the tutelage of O’Connell, leaving left the Vikings with more questions than answers. Max Brosmer isn’t the Get Out of Jail Free card some hoped he would be.

In a poignant moment of reflection, O’Connell opened up about the reality of the situation, which was painfully obvious in the aftermath the Vikings getting embarrassed in a 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The punchless performance was even more sobering when considering it marked the first time Vikings have been shut out since the George W. Bush administration.

O’Connell acknowledged that the offense hasn’t been anywhere near the standard it has set for itself. He slowly started to come to terms with the fact the open receivers he might see when watches back the film mean absolutely nothing if the the play itself isn’t capable of being executed after the ball is snapped.

“It’s figuring out exactly what we need to be, and we’ve tried to do that,” O’Connell said. “What we’re seeing coverage wise needs to take a back seat to what is best for our offense in that moment.”

The hardest part for O’Connell is he knows what his offense can look like when the Vikings are operating at a high level. They averaged 263.8 passing yards per game in 2022 (sixth in the NFL), 256.4 passing yards per game in 2023 (fifth in the NFL), and 237.8 passing yards per game in 2024 (sixth in the NFL).

That production is nowhere to be found this season, as the Vikings are currently averaging 173.2 passing yards per game. Only the Tennessee Titans, the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets have been worse.

“It’s becoming much more difficult than it has been,” O’Connell said. “It’s a matter of adjusting to what is required to win.”

You could almost see O’Connell actively fighting with his own instincts. He has to know deep down that his system isn’t necessarily conducive to developing a young quarterback in real time. There are no training wheels when the main objective of most plays is to push the ball down the field.

The biggest miscalculation in hindsight was the Vikings thinking McCarthy was ready to ride the bike by himself. They made that clear by acquiring Sam Howell as the only person to push McCarthy in any capacity. They moved on to Carson Wentz at the last minute when Howell proved he wasn’t capable of doing the job.

There was seemingly no thought that McCarthy might struggle to adapt this season. Just blind faith that he would pick up where Sam Darnold left off.

Such an assumption can’t be made again.

There needs to be a veteran quarterback brought in this offseason to compete with McCarthy for the starting job. There also needs to be an understanding that whoever that person is very well might beat McCarthy out.

There are a wide variety of paths the Vikings could choose to go down.

There are elite backup quarterbacks like Mac Jones (San Francisco 49ers) and Davis Mills (Houston Texans), though both of those options seem unlikely considering it would require a good amount of draft capital to strike a deal.

There are former franchise quarterbacks that could be available, like Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts) if he hits the open market, or Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) if he is released.

There are once-highly drafted quarterbacks who now in their 30s like Jameis Winston (New York Giants) and Marcus Mariota (Washington Commanders), who could run the offense to some degree.

There are highly drafted quarterbacks still in their 20s such as Zach Wilson (Miami Dolphins), Trey Lance (Los Angeles Chargers), and Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts), who could all be worth a roll of the dice.

There are veterans quarterbacks like Jimmy Garoppolo (Los Angeles Rams), Geno Smith (Las Vegas Raiders) and Jacoby Brissett (Arizona Cardinals), or polarizing quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons) and Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers) who could make sense.

If these options don’t seem inspiring, well, it’s because they’re not.

But even if none of them feel like they would get the Vikings over the hump, all of them would be better than having McCarthy work through some of the basic mechanics without any sort of safety net beneath him.

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By SEJAL GOVINDARAO

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Tuesday that Arizona is the latest state to sue Temu and its parent company PDD Holdings Inc. over allegations that the Chinese online retailer is stealing customers’ data.

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Mayes said the app deceives customers about the quality of its low-cost products and collects what she described as a shocking amount of sensitive data without the consent of users, including GPS locations and a list of other apps on users’ phones.

According to the lawsuit, prosecutors are concerned about Temu being subject to laws in China that require Chinese companies to hand over data requested by the government, and that its code is designed to evade security reviews.

“It can detect everywhere you go, to a doctor’s office, to a public library, to a political event, to your friends’ houses,” Mayes said during a news conference. “So the scope of this invasion of privacy is enormous, and that’s why I consider it possibly the gravest violation of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act that we have ever seen in Arizona.”

Arizona’s top prosecutor also said the state wants to protect businesses from being “ripped off” by the online retailer, alleging the company has copied the intellectual property of brands that include the Arizona Cardinals and Arizona State University.

Attorneys general in Kentucky, Nebraska and Arkansas have filed similar lawsuits in recent years.

There have been legislative efforts at the federal level to counter China’s influence, especially when it comes to technology and intellectual property. But Mayes suggested there should be greater intervention by the federal government to protect consumers.

Mayes called the allegations against Temu more egregious than those that have been made against TikTok.

Through a forensic review, investigators in Arizona found the app’s code has portions recognized by experts as malware or spyware and allows exfiltration of data from a user’s mobile device while concealing that the app is doing so. The review also found in the app “large swaths” of previously banned code from the platform’s precursor version.

Mayes urged Arizonans to delete their Temu accounts, uninstall the app and scan their devices for malware.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Thielen didn’t stay out of work long.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed the veteran wide receiver to their practice squad on Tuesday, a day after the 35-year-old was released by the Minnesota Vikings so he could pursue more playing time elsewhere.

Thielen had just eight catches for 69 yards in his return to Minnesota, where he starred from 2014-22 before a two-year stint with Carolina.

It might not take Thielen long to find his way onto the field in Pittsburgh. The Steelers (6-6) have struggled to do much in the pass game of late with neither Roman Wilson nor Calvin Austin III becoming consistent contributors alongside DK Metcalf.

Thielen is the second experienced wideout to join Pittsburgh’s practice squad in recent weeks. The Steelers signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling last month, though he has yet to find his way onto the 53-man roster on gamedays.

Pittsburgh also promoted Asante Samuel Jr. from the practice squad and released six-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay, who had been a healthy scratch in recent weeks.

Samuel made his first appearance with the Steelers in Sunday’s loss to Buffalo, finishing with three tackles in his return to action after undergoing neck surgery last spring. Tomlin saw enough of Slay to sign him to the active roster rather than risk someone poaching Slay from the practice squad late in the season.

“We certainly wanted to have an opportunity to see him in stadium before we maybe had to make a decision on him, before someone else forced our hand regarding decisions,” Tomlin said, later adding, “we liked some of the things we saw.”

Slay, signed to a one-year deal in March, had essentially been benched by Tomlin in favor of less experienced players, including James Pierre.

By WILL WEISSERT and MICHELLE L. PRICE

WASHINGTON (AP) — With Tuesday’s White House Cabinet meeting chugging past the two-hour mark, President Donald Trump ‘s eyes fluttered and closed. His budget director busied himself doodling a fluffy cloud. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was lucky enough to speak early, but the title on his nameplate was misspelled.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s name card is seen misspelled during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The sleepy, and occasionally slipshod, gathering nonetheless ended with a flurry of news. Trump declared that he didn’t want Somalis in the U.S. and Hegseth cited the “ fog of war ” in defending a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea in September.

The president started things off by noting that it was the last time his Cabinet would gather until 2026. And, though marathon sessions with his top advisers lavishing praise have become a Trump trademark since he returned to the White House, this latest installment felt at times like a holiday break was needed.

Trump offered lengthy opening comments largely rehashing his key previous policy announcements from recent months. He also repeated old grievances, going back to his falsehoods about having won the 2020 election.

‘Go quickly’

The president then gave each Cabinet member a chance to speak, declaring, “We’re gonna go quickly.” That did little to stop most Cabinet members from offering long presentations.

Hegseth went first and praised the Trump administration’s move to rename his agency the Department of War — something that can’t be officially done without an act of Congress. But the nameplate in front of Hegseth labeled him the “ssecretary of war,” including a mistaken double “S” that quickly became the source of searing online ridicule.

After that, as each official took turns speaking, a TV camera trained on Trump showed him struggling to stay alert. The president sat back in his chair with his eyes occasionally drooping and sometimes shutting completely.

President Donald Trump closes his eyes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Trump’s apparent sleepiness followed his criticism of a recent New York Times story examining his schedule and stamina at age 79. Trump again slammed the Times story early in Tuesday’s meeting and even slipped into the third person to assure all involved that “Trump is sharp.”

Another indication that things were dragging came from budget director Russell Vought, who was spotted sketching a bucolic scene on White House letterhead.

Vought drew mountains framed by pine trees topped by the kind of friendly-seeming clouds that public television legend Bob Ross preferred to crowd his serene landscape paintings with. The budget chief also sketched an arrow underneath his mountain. Where it was supposed to be pointing was not clear.

Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, attends the Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Clashing affordability messaging

Just as Trump’s admonishments to keep things tight were flouted, some of the Cabinet members also defied the president in their presentations when it came to the issue of affordability.

Trump made a point in his opening remarks to call concerns that Democrats have raised about rising costs a “con job.” That didn’t stop many of his administration’s top voices from earnestly detailing how they were indeed seeking to reduce prices nationwide.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins talked about economic pressures on farmers, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called affordability a “crisis,” and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner said that hundreds of thousands of Americans becoming first-time homebuyers was an example of how the administration was making strides to achieve greater affordability.

The final speaker was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke for several minutes and acknowledged: “I know I’m last, so I wanted to be fast. But there’s a lot to cover.”

All told, Tuesday’s gathering lasted more than two hours. That fell short of Trump’s Cabinet meeting record: an August marathon that stretched to a whopping three hours and 17 minutes.

Still, even the president acknowledged that the latest meeting was going long. “We’re spending a lot of time in here,” he said.

President Donald Trump stands up to depart following a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Trump wrapped things by taking questions from reporters, but only after jokingly asking, “After that, do you WANT to ask any questions?” He also pointed at a journalist holding a boom mic to capture sound from the Cabinet meeting and playfully offered, “How strong are you?”

“You’ve been holding that for two hours,” the president continued, drawing laughs from Cabinet members. “There are very few people who could do that. I’m very proud of you.”

A newsy Q&A

Reporters’ questions shook off the doldrums.

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Hegseth said he did not see that there were survivors in the water when the second strike on the boat off Venezuela was ordered and launched in early September. He said “the thing was on fire” and cited the “fog of war” in defending what occurred. He also said he “didn’t stick around” for the remainder of the Sept. 2 mission following the initial strike.

In response to a later question, Trump declared he didn’t want Somali immigrants in the U.S., adding that residents of the war-ravaged eastern African country should stay there and try to fix their homeland. He also accused Somalis of being too reliant on U.S. aid programs while offering little to the nation in return.

That drew applause from his Cabinet, though the questions ended abruptly with journalists soon hustled out of the room. Trump punctuated the conclusion by slapping his hand twice on the table, pushing his chair back, standing up and thumping Hegseth on the shoulder.