Dec 1, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell talks with running back Ty Chandler (32) before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
To say the Minnesota Vikings looked bad against the Detroit Lions would be putting it nicely. Despite being lined up for the biggest regular season game in NFL history, the fighting Kevin O’Connell’s got trounced. Sam Darnold didn’t look good, but neither did his head coach.
The NFC’s number-one seed was on the line. The Vikings could have played a home game in the playoffs. They faced off against a Lions team for the second time this season, and there was an opportunity for adjustments. Unfortunately, none of that mattered.
The ugly 31-9 score reflected the result in and of itself. Then there was the reality that left assumed Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell looking like a fish out of water. Minnesota threw the ball a whopping 41 times. Despite Aaron Jones and Cam Akers combining for 110 yards, the running game was abandoned entirely.
Of course, it’s understandable to see the game script push running out of the equation as the score got lopsided. That said, the Vikings’ execution (or lack thereof) within the red zone was truly problematic. The internal offensive line generated zero push, and O’Connell didn’t even attempt to run the ball into the end zone.
All season, it has been fair to argue that Dan Campbell is a byproduct of his coordinators. Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson have consistently set the Lions up for success. While Campbell ultimately approves decisions, the men in charge on both sides of the ball are elite.
That could be said for O’Connell when considering Brian Flores on defense. Wes Phillips is not the same, though. O’Connell is the master of the offense and he continuously flopped on Sunday night. It was on display for all to see against the Lions, leaving the Vikings wondering what if. The offense never seemed to click, and the head coach never pulled the right strings.
As O’Connell now turns his attention to Los Angeles, he will need to be much better if he will best his former boss. The Vikings don’t have another mulligan to their credit. The 14-3 record is better than anyone expected, and making the playoffs wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s here now, though, so there has to be a level of execution that follows along.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.