Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell makes feelings known on Daniel Jones' role behind Sam Darnold heading into playoffs

Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell now has another credible quarterback with him in Daniel Jones as the Vikings prepare to play the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round on Monday. And he likes what he sees from Sam Darnold's newest backup.

Speaking to the press on Thursday, he praised the former New York Giant's development as a backup to the first-time Pro Bowler:

"(Daniel Jones) definitely has progressed. He's gotten a lot of really good work in. … We're doing everything we can to get Sam ready to go, but at the same time, whether it's Nick (Mullens) or Daniel or Brett (Rypien), all those guys are absorbing the game plan. It's such a fluid thing here for the rest of the way.”

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Kevin O'Connell expresses sadness for LA residents as Vikings-Rams wild-card game moved to Arizona amid wildfires

The Vikings-Rams wild-card game, which will be on Monday night, was moved on Thursday to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, because of the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

As someone who was raised in Carlsbad (a suburb of San Diego, just 35 miles from the city) and played at San Diego State, Kevin O'Connell understands the magnitude of the tragedy (in fact, his last game as an Aztec had to be postponed by five weeks because of wildfires). In the presser, which was held just a few hours before the relocation was announced, he said:

“You feel helpless watching it from here and know how many people are being impacted. Southern California I hold near and dear to my heart and have some friends that have lost homes, and you just think about the impact it has on so many.”

O'Connell also said that he had connected with his counterpart Sean McVay, whom he had previously served as offensive coordinator in Inglewood:

“Just because I know about where he lives and a lot of those guys that I had relationships with live (in) the area we’re talking about. I’ve had some dialogue with folks that lost everything, and there’s really no words you can say other than you’re thinking about them, praying for them, and you just hope things start to turn here.”

Kickoff for the game will remain the same: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.