No one should have been shocked that Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was named the latest AP NFL Coach of the Year during Thursday's NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday. But, apparently, Detroit Lions fans didn't feel O'Connell was as deserving of the award as their favorite team's head coach, Dan Campbell.
Following the announcement of the award on Thursday, Lions fans flocked to social media to share their thoughts on Campbell being snubbed, especially since Detroit beat the Vikings in both of their head-to-head matchups during the 2024 season.
Dan Campbell went 15-2, beat Kevin O’Connell twice and lost his entire defense in the process but somehow lost COTY again
— Brad (@BradTheLionsFan) February 7, 2025
Kevin O’Conell NFL Coach of the Year?
— Booner (@boonersports) February 7, 2025
0-2 vs. Dan Campbell
Didn’t win his Division
5th seed in the playoffs
Make that make sense?
They gave KOC COTY because he won 14 games with Sam Darnald while having the 3rd healthiest roster.
— 🦁 Brad Positional Villain Holmes Honolulu Blue 🦁 (@DumasMike) February 7, 2025
Dan Campbell won 15 games with 22 players on IR while SWEEPING KOC in the same division.
It's cool it's always been this way.
We can be the best team in the league it won't…
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell did more with less than Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell in 2024
Besides the fact that Lions fans seem to forget that there are 15 other games in the regular season than the two in which they face the Vikings, Detroit fans also seem to be unaware of how the Coach of the Year award is typically determined.
Not saying this is the correct formula, but usually, the award ends up being given to the head coach who has helped lead his team to a notable amount of success despite facing significant odds and obstacles throughout the season.
When it comes to the Lions, Campbell helped his team win 15 games during the 2024 regular season a year after Detroit appeared in the 2023 NFC Championship. Heading into the 2024 campaign, the Lions were picked by many as the favorite to represent the NFC in this season's Super Bowl, and some even picked them to win the big game.
As for Minnesota, just about everyone assumed they were going to be one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2024 with Darnold starting under center after rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. How in the world were the Vikings going to survive without Kirk Cousins?
But instead of letting his team dwell in the cellar in 2024, all O'Connell did was turn Darnold into a Pro Bowl quarterback and help Minnesota finish with its second-most wins in a single season in the history of the franchise.
So, between O'Connell and Campbell, it's really not that difficult to understand why the Vikings head coach left Thursday's NFL Honors ceremony with the Coach of the Year award, even for those who are blinded by Honolulu Blue-colored glasses.