The Minnesota Vikings have been called a lot of things over the years, but heading into 2025 they now carry a new label: the NFL\u2019s best-coached team.<\/p>\n
In ESPN\u2019s annual ranking of all 32 coaching staffs<\/a>, head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell, defensive coordinator Brian Flores and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips earned the No. 1 spot after finishing 10th last year. Analyst Ben Solak pointed to O\u2019Connell\u2019s offensive growth and Flores\u2019 defensive mastery as reasons for the leap.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I ranked the Vikings in this exercise last season, I sang the praises of Flores, the defensive coordinator who had done the most with the least in 2023,\u201d Solak wrote. \u201cBut I wondered if O\u2019Connell\u2026could innovate and evolve beyond the tried-and-true system he had run with Kirk Cousins to that point. What could he offer a younger quarterback in need of development? The answer: a whole lot.\u201d<\/p>\n That evolution showed last season when O\u2019Connell managed to coax the best stretch of Sam Darnold\u2019s career while rookie J.J. McCarthy recovered from a knee injury. Under O\u2019Connell, Darnold pushed the ball downfield with confidence and efficiency, consistently finding open targets in ways he had never managed earlier in his career.<\/p>\n \u201cO\u2019Connell has easily leaped into that utmost echelon of offensive designers,\u201d Solak wrote. \u201cAnd Flores remains the cream of the defensive crop.\u201d<\/p>\n That balance has extended beyond X\u2019s and O\u2019s. O\u2019Connell drew praise for elevating the locker room during Minnesota\u2019s 14-win campaign, while Phillips, his longtime partner since their Rams days, has steadied an offense centered on Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. On the other side, Flores\u2019 defense forced one of the league\u2019s highest takeaway totals, giving Minnesota a disruptive edge that matched its aggressive passing game.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n