5 Vikings Still in Play for Sweet Awards
The Minnesota Vikings have the league’s sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl, situated around a +1100 moneyline after 15 games and 13 wins. Sportsbooks believe Minnesota and Green Bay (+1300) have roughly the same odds of winning the Lombardi Trophy.
5 Vikings Still in Play for Sweet Awards
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: +10000
NFL Ranking = 6th
Darnold is on pace for this:
- 4,279 Passing Yards
- 37 Total Touchdowns
- 12 Interceptions
These are MVP numbers, even if Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson already have the trophy on lock.
4. Justin Jefferson
Offensive Player of the Year
Odds to Win OPOY: +7500
NFL Ranking = 6th
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 15 games.
He’s on pace for 1,572 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on a 13-2 team. 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 will need two monster games — we’re talking gigantic — to overtake Barkley.
t2. Andrew Van Ginkel
Defensive Player of the Year
Odds to Win DPOY: +2500
NFL Ranking = 6th
Van Ginkel has tallied 69 total tackles, 18 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss, 11 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. He shares space with the next guy on the list.
t2. Jonathan Greenard
Defensive Player of the Year
Odds to Win DPOY: +2500
NFL Ranking = 6th
Greenard ranks third in the NFL in quarterback pressures (69), trailing only Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals and Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns. He’s also on pace for 12.5 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 +3500 odds.
Greenard would need a flurry of sacks in the next two games to win DPOY, but at the very least, he should snag his first Pro Bowl honor.
1. Kevin O’Connell
Coach of the Year
Odds to Win COY: -280
NFL Ranking = 1st
O’Connell led this race until Week 8, overtaken by Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions, -140), and has grabbed the frontrunner title back after eight 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 thirteen 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 Minnesota’s leader. His team would need an embarrassing 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 fancy rookie quarterback (J.J. McCarthy) in August.
O’Connell is in a commanding spot to win COTY. He will win it.
Vikings Audition Intriguing Free Agent
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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