Vikings

Kevin O'Connell's Competitiveness Will Fuel the 2025 Offseason

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kevin O’Connell stood in front of reporters on Thursday and tried to explain how Sam Darnold and the offense came up short in the season’s most significant moment. He said the coaching staff would try to decompress and rewatch the games to better understand Darnold’s season.

However, in doing so, O’Connell shared that he has already watched the Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams several times.

“The amount of times I’ve watched the tape of our last game already is probably not healthy,” O’Connell admitted, flashing a self-aware smile.

It was a perfect encapsulation of O’Connell. He smiled for the public while showing that he’s a fiery competitor. Outperforming preseason predictions to a 14-3 record isn’t good enough.

Was the 2024 season a reason for optimism? Sure, but O’Connell always says, “Be at your best when your best is required.” Unfortunately, the Vikings played their two worst games of the year in Week 18 with the division on the line and the Wild Card loss.

Fans see O’Connell’s enthusiasm on the sideline. Sometimes he’ll jump around and chest-bump fellow coaches and players after a touchdown. He throws his hands up other times and punches the air, losing his headset. He tries to stay positive. Rarely do we see him berating officials or players.

People can interpret that as soft. However, every once in a while, he shows he has an edge to him.

O’Connell joined KFAN’s Power Trip Morning Show to play theInitials Game. Regulars on the show play the trivia game every Friday, and most newcomers struggle. Minnesota’s head coach went scoreless in 12 rounds. New players often express how humbling the game can be. But O’Connell lamented his disappointment after the game ended.

“What a disappointment from me,” O’Connell said, rubbing his hands together. “This game is going to ruin my whole weekend.”

Show members offered to use tiebreaker questions to allow O’Connell to get on the board unofficially.

“No,” O’Connell politely but sternly replied. “I refuse that.”

It was a glimpse of O’Connell’s competitiveness. Although the show takes the game seriously, they enjoy it. O’Connell enjoyed his time on the show. Still, losing got under his skin, so much that he wouldn’t partake in questions that didn’t matter. He told show host Cory Cove that he would be back to play again at some point.

If a trivia game on a morning show ruined O’Connell’s weekend, losing by three scores to the Rams may ruin his offseason. Like O’Connell during the Initials Game, the Vikings were never in a position to beat LA. Darnold took nine sacks. Some of these sacks were because he held the ball too long. Others were because the Rams’ pass rush overwhelmed Minnesota’s offensive line, sometimes failing to pick up blitzers.

O’Connell was visibly upset during the postgame press conference. He gave an emotional opening statement before answering questions about Darnold and the operation of the offense. For the first time, O’Connell publicly called out a position group, saying the interior of the offensive line needs to be better. He did all he could not to do the same with his quarterback.

The Vikings have made the playoffs twice in three years under O’Connell. Their 31-24 loss to the New York Giants in the 2022 Wild Card may be best-remembered for Kirk Cousins’ fourth-and-eight checkdown to T.J. Hockenson. But defensive coordinator Ed Donatell’s 31st-ranked unit allowed Daniel Jones to throw for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Jones also accounted for 78 of New York’s 142 rushing yards.

It didn’t take long for O’Connell to decide he didn’t need to wait to see if Donatell would improve in 2023. Four days after the loss, the Vikings fired Donatell. They replaced him with Brian Flores, who O’Connell said complemented his aggressiveness on offense.

Although Minnesota’s passing attack ranked sixth in the league in 2024, Darnold was sacked 48 times, tied for the fourth-most in the league. The running game was inconsistent for a third consecutive season, partly due to Aaron Jones getting nicked up throughout the year and the offensive line struggling to open holes for him.

Like in 2023, O’Connell can improve what ailed this team. The Vikings have the sixth-most cap space heading into the 2025 free-agency period, which allows them to sign an impact player like Kansas City’s Trey Smith.

Darnold is likely going to play elsewhere next season. He looked overwhelmed in the season’s final two games after playing the best football of his career most of the season. The Vikings’ 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy will replace him two years after leading Michigan to a national championship. Collegiate success doesn’t always transfer to the NFL, but he’s no stranger to playing in meaningful games.

O’Connell was also culpable in Minnesota’s early playoff exit. He faced criticism for not adjusting mid-game, almost stubbornly going down with the approach that got the Vikings to a 14-2 start. Would he have been more inclined to lean on the running or quick passing games if he had the requisite talent on the roster?

We see the spirited locker room speeches. We’ve witnessed the sideline celebrations. You’re as likely to see O’Connell scowl as you were to see Mike Zimmer smile. But the jarring end to a promising season made O’Connell wonder what he could have done better and how to improve Minnesota’s roster.

Two years ago, another promising Vikings season ended abruptly. O’Connell wouldn’t let a passive defense cut another season short. After calling out the interior offensive line, he may not have been hoping for better results; next year, he’s expecting them.

The 39-year-old head coach is entering his fourth offseason with the Vikings. Minnesota has the resources to improve what eventually ailed them in 2024. O’Connell and his burning desire to advance past the Wild Card round won’t be content until it’s up to his standard in 2025.

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Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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