Vikings HC Deflects Credit for 5-0 Start
It’s all the players, says Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Vikings HC Deflects Credit for 5-0 Start
O’Connell’s team unexpectedly sprinted to a flawless 5-0 start in 2024 after an offseason in which NFL pundits and sportsbooks pegged the Vikings for six or seven wins.
Of course, O’Connell is largely responsible for the undefeated spurt, but don’t tell him that. He joined ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday during the team’s bye week and shifted all credit to his personnel, not himself.
“You can draw up a bunch of lines on a whiteboard and think you’re scheming it up, but the players are the ones that make it come to life. I just sit myself over there on the sidelines and call the plays. Those guys make it come to life,” O’Connell told McAfee 12 days before his team takes on the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Through five games, the Vikings showcase the NFL’s top-ranked defense per EPA/Play and 14th-ranked offense, a relatively balanced operation, particularly the first 3.5 games.
O’Connell also made sure to promote his quarterback, Sam Darnold, who is fully effectuating a reclamation season. “I knew all along if we could get some guys open, Sam Darnold’s gonna hit them. He can play quarterback in the NFL. I’ve always believed that. I’m just proud of him. He’s not really worried about anything just than his role on our team,” O’Connell opined.
“He’s one of our captains. He works as hard as anybody each and every day to be ready to go. I’m not surprised when he goes out and has success. The challenge for Sam and our whole team is handling success — being able to reinvent ourselves as a team every single week and staying true to how we want to play.”
Darnold ranks second in the NFL in touchdown passes and 10th per EPA+CPOE.
Minnesota has also scripted the pristine start amid a brutally challenging schedule. Four of the five wins occurred against teams ranked in the Top 12 per Super Bowl odds. After an “easy” Week 1 triumph at the New York Giants, the Vikings have slayed the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, and New York Jets in consecutive weeks.
O’Connell ended the McAfee interview in vintage O’Connellian fashion: “I’ll end this the way I started it: I love this team.”
Minnesota hosts the aforementioned Lions in Week 7 after its bye week, and as an early point spread, Vegas expects Detroit to prevail by three points.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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