Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is the new betting favorite to win the NFL’s coach of the year award this season. He surpassed the Lions’ Dan Campbell over the past couple days and currently has +110 odds to win it at both DraftKings and FanDuel.
Campbell is second and remains very much in the mix. The Broncos’ Sean Payton and the Commanders’ Dan Quinn round out the top four contenders.
With the Lions losing to the Bills on Sunday and the Vikings beating the Bears on Monday night, the two teams are tied atop the NFC North at 12-2. Detroit currently holds the tiebreaker thanks to its 31-29 victory over Minnesota in Week 7, but the winner of the division — and perhaps the coach of the year award — could be determined by the result of their rematch at Ford Field in Week 18.
What O’Connell has done this year has been nothing short of incredible. The Vikings came into this season with extremely low external expectations; their preseason win total was set at just 6.5. They had a difficult summer, including the loss of rookie QB J.J. McCarthy for the season with a knee injury. And yet, all they’ve done is win. The Vikings cruised past 6.5 wins in early November and have won at least 12 of their first 14 games for the first time since 1998 and just the second time since 1975.
The most impressive aspect of O’Connell’s coaching job this year has been the turnaround of Sam Darnold’s career. The former top pick and draft bust has had a remarkable breakout year at age 27, on his fourth NFL team. Monday night wasn’t Darnold’s sharpest game of the season, but he still ranks fourth in passer rating, fifth in passing touchdowns, and sixth in passing yards with three weeks to play.
It’s clear to anyone who follows the Vikings that O’Connell’s coaching excellence extends beyond his work with quarterbacks. He’s great at devising game plans and calling plays on offense, and he’s a also heck of a leader. His relationships with players are genuine, which makes him a head coach that they want to play for and play well for. What you see in the post-win locker room speeches is how he is whenever he speaks to his team.
Virtually all of the buttons O’Connell has pushed this season have worked. And with a strong three-game close to the season, he can become the first Vikings coach to win coach of the year since Bud Grant in 1969.
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