O’Connell made his message clear to Mattison ahead of Monday night’s primetime matchup with the Chicago Bears.
However, Mattison’s role with the Vikings is still secure given the surrounding circumstances — even with a recent emergence by second-year back Ty Chandler.
After releasing Dalvin Cook in the offseason, the Vikings committed to a two-year, $7 million contract that is nearly fully guaranteed in the offseason. Benching Mattison would be a complete mismanagement of the team’s resources.
Beyond the finances, Minnesota has shown an unwillingness to involve any backs beyond their top two options in the offense. Before Cam Akers went down with a season-ending Achilles tear, Chandler had played just four offensive snaps across a six-game span from Week 4 to Week 9.
Even in the direct aftermath of Mattison’s fumble, O’Connell was poised his his appraisal of Mattison’s performance,
“It was a big play,” O’Connell said in his postgame news conference on November 19, per the Star Tribune. “I thought Alex ran the ball really well tonight, so did Ty [Chandler]. I saw a really nice balance of both of those guys out there. There’s no question it was a critical play, but not one we couldn’t overcome.
Mattison is far from the doghouse, but O’Connell’s most recent statement does put the fifth-year running back on notice moving forward.
Chandler’s uptick in playing time has largely been an effort to fill the void left by Akers, but the former fifth-round pick has shown some promise.
He’s played 55 of his 89 snaps this season in the past two games and has posted 118 yards rushing and a touchdown on 25 carries.
The former fifth-round pick has all the potential to be an explosive playmaker in the offense, but his pass-blocking continues to be a reason the Vikings moderate his playing time. The offense is predicated on the pass and the running back position is relied upon to provide extra support.
Chandler’s shortcomings in pass protection were evident on a play where Josh Dobbs was hit by a Broncos linebacker that stuck Chandler and maneuvered his way to Dobbs to force an interception that led to the Broncos’ game-winning drive
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