Facing a 3rd and 12 in the first half Sunday against Washington, Kevin O’Connell’s first thought had to be — “We’re going deep.”

Because, well, that’s seemingly always his first thought.

But, on this occasion, Minnesota instead ran a play in which the majority of the receivers ran deep to clear out the middle of the field for Justin Jefferson, who came out of the backfield. J.J. McCarthy hit Jefferson roughly six yards past the line of scrimmage, and Jefferson accrued seven more after the catch to convert for a first down.

The Vikings spoke all week of a pared down offense. Kevin O’Connell noted the coaching staff was placing less of an emphasis on mechanics. This week was simply about letting McCarthy go out, make good decisions and play ball.

The results: 16 for 23 for 163 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 31-0 Vikings victory over the Commanders on a day Minnesota committed itself to a run-heavy approach.

Was it perfect? No. Four sacks is still too many. And Jefferson can’t finish with two catches for 11 yards … again. You can’t do what Minnesota did offensively against Washington every Sunday and beat the NFL’s top-tier teams.

But it was progress. Which Minnesota desperately needed to see from its 22-year-old quarterback, whose first season under center had, to date, been on a downward trajectory from bad to worse. He was largely accurate and decisive, particularly in big moments with plays that kept drives alive.

A number of factors played into Sunday’s performance. The Commanders are bad. Their defense is old and terrible. Minnesota finally had stability on its offensive line.

But simplicity also seemed to play in McCarthy’s favor. Because of course it did. Perhaps some signal callers could step onto the field from Day 1 with a firm grasp of O’Connell’s complex offensive system, grip it and rip it. That was Plan A, the one that would’ve kept Minnesota on path in its immediate pursuit of a championship.

But it was clear months ago that wasn’t going to be the case for McCarthy. And rather than adjust at the first sign of trouble, Minnesota seemingly attempted to continue to jam a square peg into a round hole. Guess what? It never fit.

McCarthy’s confidence appeared to plummet, even if he never admitted as much. Players grew frustrated. The offense became unwatchable.

Finally, last week’s drubbing at the hands of Seattle appeared to open O’Connell’s eyes to the fact that while his way is clearly an effective, exciting way to play offense in the NFL, it wasn’t a good fit for the current situation.

Ideally, the coach and front office could evaluate their young quarterback within the preferred offensive system. But they also work with him on a day-to-day basis. Surely, they can learn what they have big picture while still giving their team, and their field general, the best chance to succeed in the interim.

Comments this week suggested McCarthy was given only what he could handle. In turn, he delivered one of his best performances of the season. It’s a building block. Everyone at the team’s TCO training facility this week can move forward with more … maybe confidence is too strong of a word, but … hope?

Hope they’ve found a formula that works for McCarthy. Hope he can start to form a base from which to ascend. Hope the worst is indeed behind them.

Minnesota has four games left in this season that will not end in a playoff appearance. In that time, McCarthy will attempt to stack strong performances to suggest he is the signal caller with which the franchise can move forward. There’s a lot of work to do on that front.

Over the same period, O’Connell will attempt to prove he’s capable of taking what he has and making the best of it, of helping a young quarterback grow and develop, of guiding a team to a series of professional performances when little more than pride is on the line.

Sunday was Step 1 in that process for both coach and quarterback, who continue to be linked arm in arm as they had down the backstretch of this disappointing season, hopeful for far brighter days to come.

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Never mind that the Vikings had a comfortable lead on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. It felt like if the Washington Commanders could make it a game if they found a way to score a touchdown coming out of halftime.

That feeling went out the window when edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel intercepted a screen pass near the line of scrimmage. He read the eyes of quarterback Jayden Daniels to perfection, tipped the ball in the air, then caught it in stride before racing 40 yards the other way.

That interception from Van Ginkel helped the Vikings pull away for good in a 31-0 win over the Commanders. It served as the highlight from an incredible effort from the defense across the board.

“I had a feeling they were going to run that play,” Van Ginkel said. “I was able to jump in front of it and get it tipped up in the air so I could go make a play on it.”

You would think opponents have learned by now not to throw a screen pass anywhere near Van Ginkel with how many times he’s made that exact type of interception in his career.

“I’m shocked that they threw it to his side,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said with a smile. “It was absolutely great to see.”

Asked if he’s surprised that opponents continue to test him in that situation, Van Ginkel credited defensive coordinator Brian Flores for always putting him in the right spot, noting that some of the exotic looks the Vikings present before the snap force the issue.

“Just with how much we blitz and how much we put pressure on the quarterbacks, they have to do something to get the ball out quick,” Van Ginkel said. “If they don’t, they’re going to get sacked.”

There have been a few near misses from Van Ginkel this season. He’s gotten his hands on a screen passes near the line of scrimmage only to have the ball harmlessly hit the ground. He wasn’t going to miss this time around.

“It comes with instincts and having a knack for the game,” Van Ginkel said. “I feel like I have a good understanding of when there’s an opportunity to make a play like that.”

His teammates emphasized that it’s much harder than he makes it seem.

“It’s really high level even if it  looks like nothing when he does it,” safety Harrison Smith said. “I don’t know how he sees the field so well from up there. It’s easier on the backend. He’s got probably the best awareness I’ve seen from a guy up near the line of scrimmage.”

That speaks to how much Van Ginkel can impact the game.

“He’s a complete player,” defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said. “He can definitely rush the passer and get sacks. He can also make huge plays for us in coverage. He’s a unicorn that can do both.”

The only issue for Van Ginkel on his interception was the fact that he was tackled roughly 30 yards from the end zone.

“I was looking up at the scoreboard trying to figure out how close he was,” Van Ginkel said. “I probably should’ve stiff armed him.”

It made for some good banter in the locker room after the Vikings put the finishing touches on a win they so desperately needed.

“I thought he was going to house it,” edge rusher Jonathan Greenard said with a smile. “We’ve got to work on his top end speed.”

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MINNEAPOLIS — Saylor Poffenbarger had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 7 Maryland scored 10 straight points with less than a minute remaining in double overtime to beat Minnesota 100-99 on Sunday.

Oluchi Okananwa had 25 points and eight rebounds for the Terrapins (11-0, 1-0 in the Big Ten), who trailed 99-90 with less than a minute to play in the second overtime.

Poffenbarger hit two free throws, and then the Gophers turned it over on the in-bounds pass twice in a row. Steals by Kyndal Walker and Okananwa resulted in three-point plays for each, cutting Minnesota’s lead to one with 35 seconds to play. Poffenbarger completed the comeback with a layup off an in-bounds play with 10 seconds remaining.

Grace Grocholski made nine 3-pointers and scored 31, and Amaya Battle completed a three-point play — her first points of the game — to tie the score 70-70 and send the game to the first overtime. The (6-3, 0-1) had a chance to win it in regulation, but Grocholski could only manage an awkward shot before the clock expired.

Maryland trailed by five late in the first overtime, but Yarden Garzon hit a 3-pointer and — after a Minnesota turnover on the in-bounds pass — made a driving layup with six seconds left before Tori McKinney missed a 3-point attempt as time expired.

McKinney finished with19 points, Mara Braun scored 16 and Battle finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and seven turnovers for Minnesota.

Minnesota finished the first half with an 18-2 run to take a 38-24 lead at halftime. Grocholski hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and Braun had five points during the run, which helped Minnesota overcome a 15-14 deficit after the game’s first 10 minutes. The Gophers haven’t beaten a Top 10 team since beating Maryland in 2018.

The Terrapins turned it around in the third quarter, as Addi Mack had three quick buckets and Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu scored five points to pull Maryland to within four at 48-44 through three. Maryland’s defense held Minnesota to 2-for-17 shooting and forced six turnovers in the third quarter.

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The Gophers’ defensive line room is in flux.

Head coach P.J. Fleck fired D-line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter on Friday after one year in the role; incoming transfer players at the position disappointed overall in 2025; and the depth chart for 2026 is on the verge of an overhaul.

“Coach Dott is a tremendous football coach and is a really good person,” Fleck said in a conference call for Minnesota playing in the Rate Bowl against New Mexico on Dec. 26. “Just felt like we needed to make change at that position right now in leadership. Those are really difficult decisions to make.

“He has done a tremendous job with our guys in life lessons, but I just felt like it was time to move in a different direction there. … As we continue to move in the future, we are going to look for the best leader of that room.”

While that answer lacked specifics, Fleck is again looking of another D-line coach. The Gophers’ next D-line coach will be Fleck’s eighth across his 10 years at Minnesota. While circumstances vary, that is a lot of turnover at one position.

For bowl prep, the Gophers will turn to rush ends coach C.J. Robbins and nickels/outside linebackers coach Kevin Kane to contribute coaching to the D-Line.

As for the roster, the Gophers starting defensive tackles Devin Eastern and Jalen Logan-Redding will run out of eligibility after the Rate Bowl. And star end Anthony Smith, who was named all-Big Ten first team last week, has not yet made a decision on whether he will return to college for his redshirt senior season or head to the NFL draft.

Last winter, the Gophers brought in three D-Line transfers transfers, but only backup interior linemen Rushawn Lawrence from Stony Brook played significant snaps. Tackle Mo Omonode (Purdue) suffered a season-ending injury in preseason and edge Stephen Curtis (Illinois State) did not see the field.

The Gophers tried to bring in Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College interior D-lineman KJ Henson during the early signing period last week, but he backed out of his commitment and signed with West Virginia.

On top of a new position coach, the Gophers will need to register a higher success rate with its next batch of incoming players via the portal.

Opt-outs?

Fleck did not disclose how many players might sit out the bowl game. “You expect it to be a little unpredictable,” he said. “But we’ll have a really good team ready to go come December 26th, that’s for sure.”

Eastern and Smith are two key players who might decline to play.

New Mexico coach Jason Eck shared Sunday that three back-up players were opting out of the bowl game.

That’s Mr. Football

Gophers signee Roman Voss of Jackson County Central was named Minnesota’s Mr. Football on Sunday.

Voss, a four-star recruit who will play tight end at the U next year, put up more than 10,000 yards of offense, primarily at quarterback, for the Class 2A school in the southwest corner of the state.

The other finalists were Gophers signee Howie Johnson (Forest Lake); Izaak Johnson (Cretin-Derham Hall); Caleb Francois (Minnetonka); Owen Linder (Chanhassen); James Engle (Maple Grove); Micah Bush (Hills-Beaver Creek); Carson Heimer (Byron); Logan Lachermeier (Minneapolis North) and Deron Russell (Waseca).

The Gophers have had four other Mr. Football winners in the last 15 years: 2011, quarterback Philip Nelson (Mankato West); 2013, running back Jeff Jones (Minneapolis Washburn); 2018, running back Jason Williamson (Owatonna); and 2022, defensive back Cade Osterman (Elk River).

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