2 Vikings Can Get Revenge on Monday Night
When the Minnesota Vikings travel to Los Angeles on Monday, they will look for the opposite result from the last time they were there. The franchise is connected in multiple ways, but none have a more significant piece of someone’s past than Kevin O’Connell and Cam Akers.
2 Vikings Can Get Revenge on Monday Night
The Vikings head coach rose to prominence under Sean McVay. He became a darling during the coaching cycle in which Minnesota hired him, and he will forever be connected to that coaching tree. Unfortunately for O’Connell, his former boss got the better of him last time.
When the Vikings went to Los Angeles on Thursday Night Football earlier this season, O’Connell’s team fell by a 30-20 deficit. It was a short week coming off a loss to the Detroit Lions, and Puka Nacua was a surprise entrant in the Rams lineup. There’s no ambiguity this time, and O’Connell will look to even the ledger.
O’Connell has done a good job keeping his locker room focused throughout the season. He has only needed to reset after a loss on three occasions. That said, he has led his guys to refocus weekly and work towards winning each time out. This could be his toughest test after Sunday night’s ugly debacle against Detroit.
On the field, Cam Akers will also be looking to make his mark. The talented running back spent the first few years of his career with the Los Angeles Rams. He made enough of an impression on O’Connell during that stretch for the Vikings to acquire him last season. After tearing his Achilles again, he went to the Texans but wound up returning to Minnesota.
Acquired just before Week 6, Akers needed some time to acclimate this season. He had just five snaps against Detroit and a single snap against the Rams the following week. That won’t be the case this time around. While starting running back Aaron Jones has remained largely healthy this season, Akers has been a breath of fresh air as he cycles into the mix.
Last weekend against the Lions, Akers tallied his season-high with 65 yards. He needed just six carries to get there and added a pair of catches as well. Akers shouldn’t be expected to lead the backfield in rushing again this weekend, but he’s a talented back with plenty of familiarity against the opponent.
As O’Connell and Akers go into the playoff matchup, you can bet both will be hoping to make their mark. The Vikings need a win, and both parties could have their hands all over that result.
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.
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