Kevin O’Connell faces an enormous task as he prepares for the 2025 season. (Photo by Kevin C. … More Cox\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
There is no resting on past accomplishments for Vikings fourth-year head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell. While the first three years of his association with the organization have clearly been successful with a 13-win season in 2022 and a 14-win season last year, O\u2019Connell is facing the biggest test of his career.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connell came to the Vikings with a reputation of being an expert at working with quarterbacks. He has been elite in that area, as he brought out a Super Bowl-winning performance from Matthew Stafford with the Los Angeles Rams as the team\u2019s offensive coordinator under head coach Sean McVay.<\/p>\n
He was the \u201chot\u201d assistant when the Vikings hired him, and he helped Kirk Cousins deliver a Pro Bowl performance<\/a> that included a 65.9 completion percentage and 29 TDs in his first year. That led to a first-place finish in the NFC North even though the Minnesota defense was putrid.<\/p>\n When Cousins suffered an Achilles injury in 2023, O\u2019Connell did a fine job of keeping the team afloat and in the playoff race until the final weeks of the regular season with non-descript quarterbacks Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall under center.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell was at his best last year after the Vikings lost rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy to a torn meniscus in the team\u2019s first preseason game. The Vikings turned to backup Sam Darnold as the team\u2019s QB1, and he had the best season of his career. Darnold threw 35 TD passes<\/a> and completed 66.2 percent of his attempts.<\/p>\n