NFL preseason games have added a different element to provide entertainment.
As a way to give further insight into the sport, coaches and players are frequently mic’d up in contests that don’t count.
That can have drawbacks, as Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell learned on Saturday. The Minnesota coach was giving a live interview from the sideline when he dropped an F-bomb.
In the third quarter of the Vikings’ game against the Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium, O’Connell was on with the Fox 9 broadcast.
“I’m excited about this year’s team and excited about this play-call, fellas,” O’Connell told the broadcasters. “We’ve got a fast-motion …”
At that point, O’Connell realized the Vikings were going to get called for an illegal formation penalty.
“Oh no! F–k … It’s coming back,” a disappointed O’Connell told the announcers.
Warning: Graphic language
“I’m excited about this year’s team and excited about this play-call, fellas. We’ve got a fast-motion… ohhh no, f*ck…” – Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell mic’d up 🤷 pic.twitter.com/60C5N2mS27
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 16, 2025
The penalty wiped out a big play. Any penalty will draw a coach’s ire, even in the preseason, and the fans got to hear it firsthand.
The Vikings lost the game, 20-12, to the Patriots. They are coming off a surprising season. They went 14-3 a year ago behind Sam Darnold and reached the playoffs, losing to the Rams.
With Darnold now in Seattle, the Vikings are turning to J.J. McCarthy, the 2024 first-round pick who missed his whole rookie season with a knee injury.
