What Kevin O’Connell Needs to Do to Enhance His Growing Reputation
Going on four years into his head coaching journey, Kevin O’Connell has already established himself as one of the league’s best young leaders. In the midst of some difficult circumstances, O’Connell has been a success so far in Minnesota, but what does he have to do next?
What Kevin O’Connell Needs to Do to Enhance His Growing Reputation
Entering his fourth season, O’Connell has proven somewhat of a regular-season master.
He has a win-loss record of 34-17, two playoff appearances, and a division title in his three seasons at the helm. A large chunk of those defeats and the lone playoff-less season came when he lost his starting quarterback. Alongside new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings HC came in with the task of turning around an expensive and aging roster that had missed the playoffs the past two seasons while keeping the team competitive.
He has largely succeeded with that task.
The roster is now fully shaped by himself and Adofo-Mensah, so the time has come to turn the Vikings from a competitive team to a contender.
The Vikings are largely set up for that task but with uncertainty next to a QB who hasn’t played a competitive snap in the league; that is where the Vikings need O’Connell to work his magic and showcase what has built his reputation to a point that he already received a top 10 HC ranking from CBS Sports heading into this season.
The QB Whisperer
After making Kirk Cousins look as good as he ever has in his career, O’Connell got fans believing the playoffs were possible in Year 2 with a mix of Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall under center. Having those guys playing well for a short amount of time started the QB whisperer nickname for O’Connell and he cemented it by taking the much ridiculed Sam Darnold to a 14-win season.
Darnold was a former third overall pick who undoubtedly had some talent but his first six seasons in the league had amounted to a disaster and a bust label. One year under the tutelage of the Vikings HC and Darnold is now a Pro Bowl quarterback who landed a three-year, $100.5 million contract in Seattle. The chances of him landing a contract of that size before landing in Minnesota last year were remote at best.
Now O’Connell needs to produce more of his QB magic with the guy who is supposed to be the long-term answer at the position.
J.J. McCarthy’s rookie season was lost to a knee injury but the preparation began to get him to the point where he’s now the starter. Developing the young QB who was drafted for O’Connell is the next task for the QB whisperer. O’Connell’s success in developing McCarthy will largely determine how successful the Vikings can be in 2025.
Finding the Elusive Playoff Win
The one thing missing from Kevin O’Connell’s resume over his first three seasons as a head coach is a playoff win.
Two attempts in the Wild Card Round have both ended in defeat. There was a very disappointing home loss to the New York Giants in 2022 followed by last year’s defeat by the Rams in Arizona (the neutral location was due to the California fires). O’Connell will want to get that monkey off his back sooner rather than later before it becomes a thing (think Cousins’ prime time record).
First, the Vikings have to get to the playoffs, which will be no easy task in what promises to be a very competitive NFC North division. Thriving in the regular season is becoming the expectation from a Kevin O’Connell-coached team. To enhance his reputation further, he needs some success in the postseason.
To do so, he’ll need to push McCarthy toward ongoing growth as 2025 eventually gives way to January of 2026. Seeing McCarthy play strong football at just the right time could be enough to see Kevin O’Connell get his first playoff win as a head coach.
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