KJ Osborn, Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver

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Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football. Live and on demand. Wherever you are, whenever you want.

And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today. KJ, first off, congratulations on the win in the game-winning TD.

Thanks for the time. How you been? I've been great, man. Thanks for having me, man.

It's been a busy couple of days since then, but it's been really fun. Take me through that game-winning score. Right, man. So I just came off a previous catch. We were in field goal range. The clock was kind of coming down. We got the play call and I was able to step my defender and get open for a touchdown. Kurt threw a great ball off the line. Did a great job blocking it and we were able to get it done. Now you're standing in the end zone. You look pretty calm. What was going through your mind when you were in the end zone and just looking at the whole scene unfold?

Oh, man. It was so much emotion. That was a really emotional game. We had missed some opportunities down the field earlier in the game.

It was really physical and blocking for Dalvin and Deuce. It was just a great moment for me. I love being able to get the energy in the stadium rocking. My mom was there. My family was there. It was just a moment to let the whole stadium celebrate this hard work. It looked like you were just taking it in. If I was just looking at it from afar, I know you were excited, but you looked just pretty normal in that end zone. This is regular business for you.

Of course. That's exactly what it is. I'm here to make plays.

This is something I want to get used to. That's what it was. It was a lot of emotion. They went to you on every throw on that drive, every play on that drive. What kind of confidence does that really just give you in a clutch moment like that with all the weapons that you guys have that Kirk kept on going back to you? A bunch of confidence. We had a bunch of games like that last year. The way they were playing JJ.

We have a bunch of other pass-catchers in our offense. For them to go to me and my number is called, I just try to answer the bell every time my number is called and every opportunity. That was huge for my confidence. Gaining my teammates and my quarterbacks trust in me.

We were able to get it done, so we'll move on to the next week. KJ Osborne here with us. You've caught a game-winning touchdown pass before. I saw you said it was the same play, just the other side up against the Panthers last year. Your story, we've talked about it before at Buffalo, Miami.

Then you get drafted in the fifth round. Really started to come onto the scene last year in the NFL. This is supposed to be a big year for you. How do you put that moment on Sunday into perspective, knowing the journey, knowing the grind that you've been through? It was huge. Like I said, that's what that end zone, that standing there celebration was. There's a lot that goes into that moment. There's a lot of talk about the three receiver sets.

Just a lot of hard work. I'm playing my hometown team. My mom is there.

Everybody's back at home watching. It was a bunch. That's why the moment was a bunch to take in when you put it into perspective. I just try to be where my feet are and focus on one day at a time.

It can be a lot when you think about the magnitude of everything. That's something I was grateful for. Definitely a special moment for me. What was your conversation like with your mom after the game? She was obviously super excited. She was there. My mom comes every game home and away. My sister was there. My aunt was there. That was her first time in the U.S. Bank Stadium.

That was a goal for her to come to. They were running on me, jumping up and down, happy. All their phones are going crazy again. The game was on back at home.

I live a couple miles away from Detroit. Everybody's seen it. Their phones are going crazy and things like that. I was really happy to see them.

That's unbelievable. KJ Osborne here with us. Where do you think you are at right now in the development in your career? Is this supposed to be a nice step for you this season? It's definitely supposed to be a nice step. I feel like I have a long way to go.

If you ask me that, I don't care if I'm a 10-time Pro Bowler, I'm going to give you the same answer. There's always room to improve. I feel like there's a lot in my game that I can get better at to be the player that I want to be, to reach the goals that I have. That's what I try to do every week during the season.

I tell people my whole life and time and schedule and anything I do is surrounded by what I do on Sundays. There's a lot that I want to improve at. I'm excited for it. You guys dug yourself into a hole up against Detroit. What really clicked for you guys as a team in that fourth quarter when you knew you needed to find a way to go make some plays and go win that game so you didn't suffer back-to-back losses? We just never gave up our hope in our fight. This team has a tremendous amount of fight.

We learned that we can persevere through adversity. We always believed that we could win that game. There was never a doubt on our bench or on our sideline, no matter how things were going, that we could pull it together and get it done. That fight throughout our whole team, everybody on that sideline and that stadium, there was no doubt. It was great that we were able to pull it off and do it. Was it at all a little bit tough to move on from that Eagles game? Did that carry over into the first three quarters at all?

No, I don't think so at all. Win or lose, even the Eagles, we knew that wasn't our best performance. We go out there, we practice and we move on from it. Each game is its own. Each play is its own.

That was far removed. Win or lose, when we go out here against the Saints, the Lions will be out of our head and it's on to the next one. KJ Osborne here with us from the Minnesota Vikings at the game-winning touchdown. He was the team's leading receiver on Sunday. Vikings this weekend going to London to square off against the Saints.

A few more on last week's game. Adam Thielen caught his 50th career touchdown pass catch. Just your relationship, him being a veteran on the team, how do you put into perspective and describe your guys' relationship and what he's meant? You being the young guy on the team and him being one of the vets.

That relationship is everything. Ever since I got drafted to Minnesota, being able to speak to Adam, he's taken me in with open arms, teaching me and helping me with anything I can ask for on and off the field. Obviously, a great guy to have in the locker room. A great dad. He's a great guy.

That's somebody I'll speak to forever. That 50th touchdown, I walked up and told him, coming from where you come from and undrafted, to have 50 touchdowns in the NFL, that's special. I just congratulated him. I was so happy for him. I can't wait to see how his career continues. You talked about the man that he is. In terms of on the football field, what has he really taught you? There's countless things.

We could be on the phone all day long. It's not even things that he's told me. Just being himself, though. I'm always watching. I'm always stealing moves out of anybody's book.

If I like them, I'm going to try to use them. Adam has his own game. I try to take some things from his game, take some things from other receivers, but to be able to see him work and be a pro out there every day on the field, how he carries himself, how he prepares, how he practices, and ultimately how he plays, he's big time. It's not often that Justin Jefferson gets bottled up.

It hasn't been his best game in the last two weeks. We know how great of a receiver he is. What type of performance do you expect on Sunday up against the Saints for Justin Jefferson? A big one, man.

He's Justin Jefferson. He's getting that coverage for a reason. I'm sure we'll have a plan. KO and his smarts will come up with ways to get that double team off him. The Lions had a really good plan against him. In the game, it'll come to him. Justin's a very unselfish player. He knows if he's taking two or three guys and leaving other guys open, so me doing my thing, Adam doing his thing, Irv, it's going to be tougher teams to just try to double him for the whole season. Eventually, it'll come off of him.

He'll do his thing. Where do you think your offense is at through the first three games of the season? I think we're still a new group going through this thing with a new head coach and everything like that.

Obviously, we got to a really explosive start. Again, during the second week, we didn't really do what we wanted to do. Last week, we were able to pull it out and win. Like I said, the question you asked me earlier, there's always a lot for improvement. Even in the Green Bay game, we left things out there and opportunities out there. There's always room to grow and improve.

I think the best is yet to come. KJ Osborne here with us. I got a chance to talk to Alexander Madison after the game. He said you just have that clutch gene.

Give me a little thought or two on Alexander Madison. Next man up mentality. Dauvin Cook unfortunately out of the game. He stepped up big with that touchdown right before yours.

Oh man, so big. He always does. Every time Matty gets his opportunity, he always takes advantage of it and does great things. I asked him today, how do you break so many tackles like that? How do you just bounce off guys?

They're not able to bring you down. It's amazing to see. Like I said, every time Matty is in there, he does an excellent job. I can't wait to see how he continues to go. Are you guys expecting Dauvin Cook to be on the field this week or you just don't know yet? I have no clue.

I have no clue. Hey, about coach Kevin O'Connell. We've seen him now for three games. You've had the whole offseason with him. What has he really brought to this team that maybe they were missing last year when you look at Kevin O'Connell? I think he's brought a lot of unity. Just in the building, in the locker room, it feels more like family.

It feels more open. We're able to talk to him. He's laughing with us and talking to us.

Just being human. A lot of times in this league, in this profession, there's so much business. We understand that, but he also allows us to have a relationship with him, be able to talk to him and be open with him. I think that has brought us closer as a team to be able to fight in games like this. Knowing that our offense, we got a slow start, but we know we can rely on our defense. Our defense came up with a couple big stops. Then our score and defense goes out there and Josh gets that game-winning interception. That's stuff on the field, but that stuff has been in translation since March.

Just us being close, us believing in each other. That's where that no doubt and that fight comes from. When you look at the Saints, you'll play them Sunday in London. What's the first thing or two that stands out of that Saints defense? They play fast. They play hard. They have a great leader there in the middle that they're led by. They've got a couple good guys on that side of the ball. Just like any other NFL game, we have to come ready, come prepared and be ready to put on a good show. Do you like that you guys are going to London? I know it's a long trip for a football game. Do you like it or is it just what it is?

I like it. I was able to be over there. I had the opportunity to go over there this summer and be able to see Tottenham Stadium and go to Wimbledon and the flag football 707 championships there. I got a chance to experience it for about a week. It was awesome. Seeing the fans there, seeing the stadium. I'm really excited for it. I love to see our game growing.

Well heck of a game on Sunday. Good luck. Safe travels this upcoming week. When do you guys by the way go out to London? I think we do on Thursday.

Thursday, alright. Well safe travel. Have a good flight and we'll see what happens on Sunday.

Thanks. Appreciate the time as always. Of course man. Thank you for having me.

You are? Whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today.

Football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team, your station, your shows. Follow your favorite stations and come back again and again. Get real time updates on everything you care about. Miss your show?

Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football. Live and on demand.

Wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today.

Football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team, your station, your shows. Follow your favorite stations and come back again and again. Get real time updates on everything you care about. Miss your show?

Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football. Live and on demand. Wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today.