Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell understands the difference between playing to win and playing not to lose. And that’s likely why he’s rocketed to the top of early Coach of the Year candidates.
O’Connell’s aggressive philosophy was on display in the second half of Sunday’s 31-29 win at Green Bay, for better and for worse. After sprinting to a 28-7 halftime lead, the Vikings withstood a vicious Packers comeback. Rather than drain clock with runs and high-percentage passes, O’Connell went straight for the Lambeau Field jugular – and missed.
Instead, Minnesota got two Sam Darnold turnovers, four punts and a failed fourth-down conversion. But give the Vikings credit because when they most needed points, Darnold delivered on a scoring drive midway through the fourth quarter that gave Minnesota just enough to escape with a hard-earned NFC North win.
“I just want our guys to understand that I believe in them,” O’Connell said after the game. “I want our guys to know I’m going to be aggressive. I have nothing but confidence in the 11 guys in any phase of our team going out there in those moments.”
There’ll be plenty more of those moments this season, the Vikings have assured themselves. They’re one of three remaining undefeated teams, along with Kansas City and Seattle, which plays on Monday night. On Sunday, clinging to a 28-22 lead, Darnold threw four consecutive passes to reach the Packers’ doorstep before settling for a 33-yard Will Reichard field goal, pushing the advantage to two possessions.
“Just leaning into our quarterback and our guys in that huddle to put together a really good drive right there,” O’Connell said. “I would have loved to get seven, but critical execution by our guys and ability to respond in that moment after losing a significant lead.”
Key in that response was wide receiver Justin Jefferson. He caught just two passes for 19 yards in the first half – including an insane second-quarter touchdown – as the Vikings built a 28-0 lead. But on that fourth-quarter scoring series, Darnold connected with Jefferson on 17- and 27-yard strikes to aggressively put the game out of reach for O’Connell’s Vikings.
Since entering the NFL in 2020, Jefferson now has 6,257 receiving yards, surpassing Julio Jones (6,201) on Sunday for the fourth-most ever by a player in his first five seasons. Next up are Torry Holt (6,784) and Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (6,364) and Randy Moss (6,743).
Jefferson and Darnold have meshed well with Minnesota’s suffocating Brian Flores defense.
“I think this team, it’s kind of what I’m getting at,” O’Connell added. “I think they’re made of the right stuff, and we’re just going to keep playing.”
They’ll keep playing on another continent this week, when they travel to London to meet Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets (2-2) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.