Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings is the favourite to win the NFL’s Coach of the 12 months award this season, and for good cause.
Coming into this season, few picked the Vikings to have any actual shot at making the playoffs, particularly after rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending harm previous to Week 1.
However Sam Darnold, who had been dismissed as a bust, stepped into the QB1 spot and has delivered wonderful play, and the Vikings now have a shot on the NFC North title with a 12-2 file.
O’Connell went on “The Dan Patrick Present” and mentioned that if he had a vote for Coach of the 12 months and couldn’t vote for himself, he’d vote for Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions or presumably the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin.
Dan thinks #Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell goes to win #NFL Coach of the 12 months. He joined us in the present day and shared who he’d vote for if he could not vote for himself. pic.twitter.com/U2tLQQBNPn
— Dan Patrick Present (@dpshow) December 19, 2024
Darnold has turned in the kind of season few thought he was able to — 3,530 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns and a 104.9 passer ranking by way of 14 video games, and he threw 5 landing passes in a Week 14 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Minnesota has additionally benefitted from the arrival of operating again Aaron Jones, the previous Inexperienced Bay Packers mainstay who has run for 979 yards and 5 touchdowns whereas including 39 catches for 322 yards and two touchdowns.
The crew could also be much more shocking on protection, the place it ranks fourth in factors allowed after it was thirteenth in that class final season.
With the Lions coping with key accidents to gamers on either side of the soccer, the NFC North has gone from seemingly a one-team race to a two-horse battle between them and Minnesota, and successful the battle might clinch the Coach of the 12 months award for O’Connell.
NEXT: Colin Cowherd Makes Shocking Suggestion For Sam Darnold’s Subsequent Crew