Kevin O’Connell and his coaching staff were ranked as the 10th best coaching staff in the entire league, but only the third best in the NFC North, according to a ranking released Thursday by ESPN.
Minnesota finished behind the Detroit Lions (No. 2) and the Green Bay Packers (No. 8) in the division, but well ahead of the Chicago Bears (No. 25).
“I’d like to rank O’Connell’s name alongside Matt LaFleur or Mike McDaniel as an offensive innovator, but I honestly can’t say his branch of the McVay/Shanahan offense is as successful as that one,” wrote ESPN’s Ben Solak.
That’s an odd criticism for an offensive coach who, at ages 34 and 35, is coming off arguably the best stretch of Kirk Cousins’ career. Minnesota’s offense finished 10th in yards and 22nd in points in 2023, a significant drop from seventh in both categories in O’Connell’s first year. Part of that drop could easily be attributed to losing the starting quarterback in Week 8 and having to make do with Josh Dobbs, Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens for the rest of the season.
“I think he made the right decision for his quarterback and he’s going to push the boundaries of the offense when JJ McCarthy finally steps on the field. Right now, I can’t put him in that ranks of offensive playmakers,” Solak continued.
O’Connell has received top marks on the NFLPA’s annual report cards each of the past two seasons, earning an A+ grade from the players in 2024. Looking at the rest of the coaching staff, Solak gave defensive coordinator Brian Flores a lot of credit for the job he did in 2023.
“No coach did more with less than Flores did with his unit last season, and it’s not the first time – his defense in Miami accomplished many similar things during his stormy tenure as head coach there,” Solak wrote.
In his first season with Minnesota, Flores transformed a Vikings defense that ranked 30th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed in 2022 into a team that ranks 13th in points allowed and 16th in yards allowed in 2023. Surprisingly, that wasn’t enough to get Flores a head coaching interview in the offseason, which may have more to do with his discrimination lawsuit against the NFL.
“I don’t know if the league will give it to him, but Flores deserves another chance at a head coaching job. Unless he gets it, the Vikings will benefit tremendously,” Solak continued.
