Monday night features a unique coaching matchup between Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams and Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings. This resulted in former NFL coach Jay Gruden providing his thoughts on the matchup.

“So Sean McVay Vs Kevin O’Connell tonight,” Gruden posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I hired em both. Bet I don’t get mentioned once. lol!!!!” Gruden said.

McVay showcases a potent offense with quarterback Matthew Stafford having weapons in receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua as well as running back Kyren Williams. On the other side, O'Connell boasts an offense exceeding expectations with quarterback Sam Darnold. Star receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison as well as running back Aaron Jones have helped lead the charge.

Jay Gruden's history with Sean McVay, Kevin O'Connell

NFL Jay Gruden
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Jay Gruden watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at TIAA Bank Field.

Jay Gruden's time with Sean McVay and Kevin O'Connell goes back to their days together when they were on Washington's coaching staff.

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Gruden served as the team's head coach from 2014 to 2019, finishing with a 35-49-1 record. He won the NFC East Division title once as Washington made the playoffs in the 2015-16 season, falling to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card round. They were unable to make the postseason for the remainder of his stint, having middling seasons as he was ultimately fired when Washington started 0-5 in the 2019-20 campaign.

Despite the ups and downs of his first head coaching job in the NFL, Gruden showed his eye for coaching talent when he hired McVay and O'Connell.

McVay was already on Washington's staff as an offensive assistant and tight ends coach. But when Gruden took over the reins, he was promoted to offensive coordinator until he accepted the Rams head coaching position for the 2017 season onward and didn't look back.

When it comes to O'Connell, he served multiple positions throughout his three-year stint with Gruden from 2017 to 2019. He was initially the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator until he was promoted to offensive coordinator ahead of the 2019 season. He later became the Rams offensive coordinator for two seasons until taking over the helm as Minnesota's head coach in 2022.

Since their time with Gruden, McVay and O'Connell have been successful as head coaches. McVay became the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl when the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals. As for O'Connell, who helped McVay in that Super Bowl run, seems to be on the rise among the league's best head coaches as he's led the Vikings to a 34-17 record after three full seasons.