Quarterback adversity has sparked growth for Kevin O'Connell

As high-end analytics go, the Vikings make the playoffs every other year. At an even more complex mathematical level, the Vikings make the playoffs when the same quarterback starts and plays every game of the regular season.

Consequently, coach Kevin O’Connell had a simple goal for 2026: make it more like 2022 and 2024, when Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold, respectively, went wire-to-wire at the most important position on the field.

That plan went out the window on the third drive of the season, when quarterback Kyler Murray suffered a concussion.

Carson Wentz entered. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t pretty. They trailed with roughly 20 minutes to play, 22-10. In the fourth quarter, the dam broke — thanks to the defense.

After the game, O’Connell admitted that he has struggled in the past to overcome the unexpected issues of offense. He has now learned how to roll with the changes.

“Two of our years here, we’ve had our starting quarterback for essentially the whole season, and we won 14 and 13 games,” O’Connell told reporters after the game. “In some of the adversity, I don’t think I’ve coached very well. Trying to maybe worry about the stat sheet, worry about what it’s gonna look like when you pick up the paper.”

He’s now realizing that the only stat that matters is points scored versus points allowed. And he benefits from a defensive coordinator in Brian Flores, who has a plan for creating the kind of chaos that can pick up the slack for the offense.

The message became clear last year, when the Vikings ran the table for five straight wins after the playoff pursuit was essentially lost. This year, with the quarterback questions starting earlier than ever for O’Connell, he is putting the lesson into action.

With or without Murray, it’ll get tested next Sunday at Chicago.