{"id":71720,"date":"2025-05-23T02:13:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T02:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/71720\/"},"modified":"2025-05-23T02:13:23","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T02:13:23","slug":"5-vikings-should-be-thrilled-about-the-recent-nfl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/71720\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Vikings Should Be Thrilled About the Recent NFL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) celebrates with teammate Christian Darrisaw (71) after defensive stop during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

This year, Vikings head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell secured the Coach of the Year trophy. Before him, the last Minnesotan to earn NFL honors was Justin Jefferson, who received the Offensive Player of the Year award following the 2022 campaign. <\/p>\n

5 Vikings Are Suddenly on Award Watch<\/p>\n

Once again, Jefferson and O\u2019Connell are candidates to steal some silverware, although O\u2019Connell should be considered a long shot because it\u2019s unusual to win Coach of the Year in consecutive years. J.J. McCarthy will watch the Comeback Player of the Year race closely. <\/p>\n

The five guys in front of him, the offensive line, will monitor a different award. The NFL has implemented a Protector of the Year accolade, the league announced Wednesday. <\/p>\n

\"vikings\"Oct 2, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Brian O\u2019Neill (75) during the NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

The NFL wrote<\/a>, \u201cA new Protector of the Year Award will honor the best offensive lineman each season beginning in 2025. The award, which will be presented annually at NFL Honors to the best offensive lineman of the season, symbolizes protection, durability, and the unsung heroics of the players who shield their teammates and drive their teams forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

In theory, all five starting Vikings linemen have a chance. From left to right, the brand-new line should be: Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson<\/a>, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Brian O\u2019Neill. <\/p>\n

Jackson will have to unseat last year\u2019s starter, Blake Brandel, first, and sometimes, rookies need a few weeks on the sidelines. It remains to be seen whether that will be the case here. <\/p>\n

\"\"Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth (77) celebrates with the Lombardi Trophy and quarterback Matthew Stafford after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

Future Hall of Fame tackle Andrew Whitworth, an old friend of O\u2019Connell, said: \u201cThis award means everything to the big guys up front, The Protector of the Year isn\u2019t just about stats \u2013 it\u2019s about the mindset, grit, and leadership it takes to be the foundation of a football team. It\u2019s time the men who lead, protect, and never ask for credit are recognized as the backbone of this game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, blockers never get any consideration for awards. MVP is a quarterback trophy, anyway, and Offensive Player of the Year usually goes to a quarterback or another weapon like a wideout or running back. <\/p>\n

The NFL even named the criteria: <\/p>\n

Skill Metrics: pass-block win rate, run-block win rate, penalties allowed, sacks allowed, helmet contact<\/p>\n

Impact: contribution to the team\u2019s offensive success (e.g., total rushing yards, QB protection stats)<\/p>\n

Leadership: display of leadership, teamwork, and consistency on and off the field<\/p>\n

Durability: minimum number of snaps, games played<\/p>\n

Strength of Opponent: Success vs. high-performing defenders<\/p>\n

The most likely Viking to win the award in the near future is tackle Darrisaw, and he has already been snubbed from accolades a few times. He has yet to be nominated for an All-Pro team or the Pro Bowl. <\/p>\n

\"VikingsSep 19, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports.<\/p>\n

One obstacle for him this year is his knee injury. He\u2019s still recovering<\/a> from the torn ACL he suffered in an October contest against the Los Angeles Rams. If he can make it in time for Week 1 or shortly thereafter, he still has a chance. Of course, immediately playing at an elite level isn\u2019t a given either. <\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill, his counterpart on the right side, has two Pro Bowls on his resume and was quietly fantastic last season. The veteran is not a flashy player, even for an offensive lineman, and he\u2019d undoubtedly have to play the best season of his career to get some consideration. <\/p>\n

Because tackles usually get more attention, they should be favored over interior linemen. However, the Vikings made a sneaky guard signing in free agency when they acquired Fries from the Colts. He got some buzz prior to getting injured last year and could be a rising star this season. <\/p>\n

Rookie guard Jackson and aging center Kelly, a four-time Pro Bowler, are unlikely to play at the required level. <\/p>\n

Six former NFL linemen will choose the winner. The favorites include Lions tackle Penei Sewell, 49ers tackle Trent Williams, Eagles tackles Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, Buccaneers tackle Tristan Wirfs, Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, and Colts guard Quenton Nelson. <\/p>\n

\"Look<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) celebrates with teammate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40494,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[7,233,259,2529,6,21468,234],"class_list":{"0":"post-71720","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-vikings","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-minnesota","10":"tag-minnesota-vikings","11":"tag-minnesotavikings","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-protector-of-the-year","14":"tag-vikings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114554732822817279","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}