Kevin O’Connell’s first year as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings is in the books. What are five things he needs to do better in year two?
The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2022 season with a 13-5 record, which is not too shabby for a first-year head coach. Kevin O’Connell came over from the Los Angeles Rams to take over from Mike Zimmer, and he immediately changed the culture of this team.
It quickly became a place where players wanted to be, with open communication and a true desire to play for each other.
That was great to see, and obviously, the wins were as well. O’Connell had his offense humming and the Vikings quickly became a team that was known for squeaking out last-minute wins. It was hard for fans to go through that every week, but after a while, it suddenly became expected that Minnesota would somehow find a way to win.
In the end, the defense was too porous for the Vikings to keep the dream alive, and O’Connell experienced some hiccups of his own. While his rookie season as a head coach will go down as a huge success, there are some things that he can and needs to do better in year two, and here are five of those.