Kevin O’Connell Is Arriving At A Winning Formula
Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings appear to midseason form, both offensively and defensively, after three weeks. Each game has had large sample sizes showing the Vikings determination and execution, resulting in near-blowouts in all three games. If it wasn’t for an uncharacteristic fumble by Aaron Jones (just his 16th in eight seasons) at the goal line in Week 2, the Vikings would have taken a 27-7 lead into the start of the fourth quarter, and another decisive victory to add to their multiple-score wins in Weeks 1 and 3.
But we’ll forgive Jones for his small misstep, as he’s ultimately unlocked head coach Kevin O’Connell’s transition into the advanced play-caller fans were promised upon his arrival. KOC had the reputation of an offensive genius, but there were reservations about his actual play-calling ability, as he’d never called plays before. Not only was he a first-time head coach, but Jay Gruden and Sean McVay assumed play-calling duties when O’Connell served as their offensive coordinator.
KOC has delivered on the attributes that had the football world see him as a coaching prodigy. His acumen, charisma, and persona are captivating, and translates his players’ abilities into results. The way can manifest his players’ abilities into production has been incredible. Now with the play-calling humming, O’Connell is becoming fully-realized as a coach.
Kevin O'Connell has created a culture in Minnesota that repeatedly grades out as the highest in the league.
His players love him, he's an incredible play caller but his post game speeches are like no other. pic.twitter.com/KRa7yv9Xy0
— Cam (@42Cyc) September 16, 2024
O’Connell took over a Vikings team that finished 8-9 in 2021 under head coach Mike Zimmer after the latter’s unceremonious firing. His tenure soured in the late stages of his regime due to him both alienating players and undermining GM Rick Spielman, among other concerns.
The culture became “toxic” and “fear-based” and several more players responded to Zimmer’s most recent interview as being “petty” and “annoying”, as Zimmer admitted to holding grudges about decisions made outside of his control, which resulted in behavior that negatively impacted many within the organization.
After Zimmer’s departure, Wilf’s ownership stressed several times the focus and need for “strong leaders, communicators and collaborators” as the nucleus for sustainable success in Minnesota. Ultimately, ownership learned from the Zimmer Era and hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell as head coach, both of whom fit that bill.
Three years later, and everything’s going perfectly with KOC leading a team that looks primed to make 2024 an unexpectedly special season. This doesn’t feel like the 2022 season, where the Vikings scraped by in 11 straight one-score games en route to a 13-4 record and first-round playoff exit. This version is dismantling teams — even great teams — with impressive execution. The eye test tells it, and the data proves it.
With O’Connell’s play-calling, the offense ranks third in the NFL in both points per game and third down conversion rate. They’re also fifth in average yards per play. The Vikings offense has been equally adept at busting out big plays, or chaining small ones together into long drives, which in turn become points. It’s a sustainable, winning formula, and that doesn’t even include the defense’s performance.
The biggest reason for this has been Jones giving KOC a reason to call a polished, balanced game. Whether the blame lay with O’Connell or the ineptitude of Alexander Mattison, the past two seasons have seen the Vikings run lopsided, pass-heavy offenses, ranking in the NFL’s top-5 in passing attempts in both years. Now O’Connell is committing to into relying on the run game, and that has made a gigantic difference.
The team has a 50-50 split on runs and passes this season (78/78). That kind of balance is good, especially when the Vikings are 10th in average yards per rush play. Minnesota’s strong ground game takes the pressure off Sam Darnold to do it all himself, and in turn, he’s seemingly doing everything. Darnold leads the league with eight touchdown passes, thanks in part to the quarterback taking advantage of defenses that now must respect the run.
But it’s not just the play-calling. O’Connell has correctly identified in Darnold a QB that A) the coach can translate information to easily and B) has the physical tools to execute his vision. That’s not the case for everyone, and it’s a big reason why the head coach is known for being both a “quarterback whisper” and, in his own words, a “quarterback killer.”
As a former quarterback, O’Connell knows how to work with a signal-caller’s deficincies, as he did with Cousins, creating “Kirko Chains.” Now we’re seeing what he can do with a player KOC’s hand-picked to survive his quarterback-killer selectivity. As weird as it is to say this about Darnold, the early returns are MVP-caliber.
Kevin O'Connell gave a speech last night at St. Philip the Deacon Church in Plymouth and got a full breakdown of McCarthy and Maye by a Vikings fan at the end lol. He gave a very interesting answer, noting that he killed some previous QB ideas in the past because he wasn't sold.… pic.twitter.com/cb2SR6lOJo
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) April 19, 2024
Even better news is that O’Connell, by all accounts, finally got a rookie quarterback that lives up to those same standards in J.J. McCarthy, though Darnold’s play could make things very interesting next offseason. That is a very good problem to have.
There’s excitement surrounding US Bank Stadium, and it’s due in large part to O’Connell’s true arrival as an elite coach. KOC is proving that success in football is not only about results on the field, but the approach with which coaches and teammates connect with each other. He’s building the kind of culture that not only expects success, but manifests it into reality. Combining his optimistic, upbeat demeanor, care for his players, and breakthrough in X’s and O’s play-calling, O’Connell is showing that he has the winning formula in Minnesota.
Up Next