The 2022 season ushered in the Kevin O’Connell era of Vikings football.
The first-year head coach led Minnesota to a 23-7 win over Green Bay in the teams’ season opener, which featured two Justin Jefferson receiving touchdowns from Kirk Cousins and three Greg Joseph field goals.
The Vikings went up 20-0 in the third quarter before allowing the Packers to get on the board; their sole points came on a 2-yard rushing TD by AJ Dillon late in that period.
O’Connell went on to win eight of his first nine games with Minnesota, including an overtime thriller in Buffalo in Week 10, and finished his debut season 13-4. The Vikings went 8-1 at U.S. Bank Stadium in the regular season. They hosted a Wild Card matchup against the Giants on Jan. 15, 2023, but fell 31-24.
Oct. 30, 2022
Jared Allen rides a horse onto the field
It wouldn’t be Jared Allen if there wasn’t a little extra fanfare.
During halftime of their Week 8 game against the Cardinals (which Minnesota would win 34-26), the Vikings inducted Allen into the team’s Ring of Honor. The former defensive end followed a tribute video by riding out through the Vikings tunnel on a jet-black Friesian gelding named Coolio.