Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings is the favorite to win the NFL’s Coach of the Year award this season, and for good reason.
Coming into this season, few picked the Vikings to have any real shot at making the playoffs, especially after rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury prior to Week 1.
But Sam Darnold, who had been dismissed as a bust, stepped into the QB1 spot and has delivered excellent play, and the Vikings now have a shot at the NFC North title with a 12-2 record.
O’Connell went on “The Dan Patrick Show” and said that if he had a vote for Coach of the Year and couldn’t vote for himself, he’d vote for Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions or possibly the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin.
Darnold has turned in the type of season few thought he was capable of — 3,530 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns and a 104.9 passer rating through 14 games, and he threw five touchdown passes in a Week 14 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Minnesota has also benefitted from the arrival of running back Aaron Jones, the former Green Bay Packers mainstay who has run for 979 yards and five touchdowns while adding 39 catches for 322 yards and two touchdowns.
The team may be even more surprising on defense, where it ranks fourth in points allowed after it was 13th in that category last season.
With the Lions dealing with key injuries to players on both sides of the football, the NFC North has gone from seemingly a one-team race to a two-horse battle between them and Minnesota, and winning the battle could clinch the Coach of the Year award for O’Connell.
