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After the Minnesota Vikings pulled off a gritty win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16, head coach Kevin O'Connell was at the center of the final minutes. His headset mysteriously stopped working, and quarterback Sam Darnold ran over to the sideline and asked for the call. Luckily for Minnesota, they secured a Justin Jefferson game-deciding touchdown. Not to mention, rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy dropped his Kevin O'Connell Coach of the Year endorsement.
Following the game, O'Connell said via Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune his uncertainty about that particular play. “I don’t particularly know what he called,” O’Connell said. “I just know that once I saw him have space and run like he did, I was relieved.”
O’Connell called it an “MVP performance” by the sideline to get him a new battery pack on the drive. The heroics secured the 13th win of the season and a Vikings possible path to the No. 1 seed. Regardless, they showed up when it mattered most, despite any unfortunate circumstances.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell is having a Coach of the Year season.
Minnesota is having an elite season, and they might not even be the best team in their division. The Detroit Lions are also 13-2, in addition to the Vikings. However, there's not the star power with Minnesota that there is for Detroit. Aidan Hutchinson and Amon-Ra St. Brown highlight the 2023 Pro Bowl and All-Pro nominations. The Vikings don't have a single All-Pro player on their roster besides Justin Jefferson.
Furthermore, the Vikings have the ninth-best offense (26.4 points per game) and the second-best defense per game (18.4 points allowed). On the contrary, the Lions have the best offense (32.9 points per game) and the sixth-best defense (19.9 points allowed per game).
Still, Minnesota has been dominant with O'Connell as the head coach. He's had two 13+ win seasons in his three years with the Vikings. He revolutionized the offense with his style. As a result, all facets of the game have improved. Quarterback, receiving, and rushing production has increased exponentially.
While there are two more games left in the season, they can do several things. The Vikings could clinch the No. 1 seed; they could also win the division. With all that being said, a possible Coach of the Year trophy would look nice on O'Connell's hardware shelf.
After missing out on the trophy the past two seasons, this might be the year. However, a Super Bowl ring would matter more to the 39-year-old head coach than individual accolades.
