5 Vikings Vying to Win End-of-Season Awards
The Minnesota Vikings have the league’s sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl, situated around a +1700 moneyline after 14 games and 12 wins. Sportsbooks believe Minnesota and Green Bay have the same odds of winning the chip.
5 Vikings Vying to Win End-of-Season 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. Justin Jefferson
Offensive Player of the Year
Odds to Win OPOY: +5500
NFL Ranking = 5th
Only 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 1,530 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns on an 11-2 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 also really needs another signature game to reestablish his OPOY case. Week 14 against the Atlanta Falcons was a great example. Jefferson needs another.
4. Jonathan Greenard
Defensive Player of the Year
Odds to Win DPOY: +4500
NFL Ranking = 14th
Greenard ranks second in the NFL in quarterback pressures (60), trailing only Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals. He’s also on pace for 13 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 to win DPOY, but at the very least, he should snag his first Pro Bowl nod.
3. Sam Darnold
MVP
Odds to Win MVP: +4000
NFL Ranking = 6th
Darnold dimed 5 touchdown passes during the best game of his career last weekend.
He’s on pace for this:
- 4,314 Passing Yards
- 38 Total Touchdowns
- 13 Interceptions
Those are MVP numbers, even if Josh Allen already has the trophy on lock.
2. Andrew Van Ginkel
Defensive Player of the Year
Odds to Win DPOY: +3500
NFL Ranking = 10th
Van Ginkel has tallied 62 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.
1. Kevin O’Connell
Coach of the Year
Odds to Win COY: +340
NFL Ranking = 2nd
O’Connell led this race until Week 8, overtaken recently by Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions, -140).
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.
Winning the NFC North — albeit a longshot — could guarantee him the COY trophy. Minnesota is one game back of Detroit.
Voters love to give the award to an “against all odds” coach, and this year, that’s O’Connell, who lost his shiny rookie quarterback in August.
Brian Flores Might Leave the Vikings
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.