5 Vikings in the Mix for Awards in 2024
The Minnesota Vikings have the league’s sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl, situated around a +1300 moneyline after 14 games and 12 wins. Sportsbooks believe Minnesota and Green Bay have the same odds of winning the chip.
5 Vikings in the Mix for Awards in 2024
Multiple players are also in the mix for individual awards.
These are the five Vikings players and coaches who could realistically take home individual award hardware at season’s end. They’re ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = likeliest to win award).
5. Sam Darnold
MVP
Odds to Win MVP: +12000
NFL Ranking = 6th
Darnold is on pace for this:
- 4,286 Passing Yards
- 36 Total Touchdowns
- 13 Interceptions
These are MVP numbers, even if Josh Allen already has the trophy on lock.
4. Andrew Van Ginkel
Defensive Player of the Year
Odds to Win DPOY: +6000
NFL Ranking = 12th
Van Ginkel has tallied 64 total tackles, 15 quarterback hits, 15 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 touchdowns, and a forced fumble. He and his counterpart, Jonathan Greenard, are playing so efficiently that 1st-Rounder Dallas Turner doesn’t see the field as much as fans expected when the season kicked off.
The two defensive touchdowns put him on the map per DPOY attention, but Van Ginkel’s 2024 resume is much more elaborate than two big plays. His presence in the DPOY race is more than justified, although he probably won’t win.
3. Justin Jefferson
Offensive Player of the Year
Odds to Win OPOY: +6000
NFL Ranking = 5th
Only Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles), Derrick Henry (Baltimore Ravens), Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals), and Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) outrank Jefferson for OPOY through 14 weeks.
He’s on pace for 1,509 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on a 12-2 team. To be sure, Jefferson has already won OPOY, so this would be his second achievement if he can oust Barkley and Henry, among others, for the trophy.
An injury is the only thing that would derail Jefferson from consideration. Jefferson would need to barnstorm in the NFL in the remaining three games to win this honor — probably 150 yards each game against the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions.
2. Jonathan Greenard
Defensive Player of the Year
Odds to Win DPOY: +3000
NFL Ranking = 6th
Greenard ranks third in the NFL in quarterback pressures (66), trailing only Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals and Myles Garret from the Cleveland Browns. He’s also on pace for 13.5 sacks during his maiden voyage season in Minnesota.
The ex-Houston Texan has directly replaced Danielle Hunter’s fantastic production from 2015 to 2023, and Greenard is even more affordable than Hunter’s current price in Houston. Hunter, too, is in the DPOY race with +2200 odds.
Greenard would need a flurry of sacks in the next three games to win DPOY, but at the very least, he should snag his first Pro Bowl nod.
1. Kevin O’Connell
Coach of the Year
Odds to Win COY: -350
NFL Ranking = 1st
O’Connell led this race until Week 8, overtaken recently by Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions, -140) and has grabbed the frontrunner title back after seven consecutive wins.
The Vikings skipper has helped reclaim Sam Darnold’s career and is rapidly exemplifying the title “quarterback whisperer.” Meanwhile, his team has won eleven games in a season where it was only “supposed to” win 6.5, per sportsbooks. Most expected Minnesota to finish 6-11 or 7-10 and gain a Top 10 draft pick. Didn’t happen.
O’Connell has hit his stride as a head coach. His team would need a colossal collapse for O’Connell to fall out of this race’s Top 5.
Voters love to give the award to an “against all odds” coach, and this year, that’s O’Connell, who lost his promising rookie quarterback in August.
O’Connell is in a commanding spot to win COTY.
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 MIN 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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