Vikings' Kevin O'Connell Not Named One of Five Coach of the Year Finalists

Was O'Connell snubbed from consideration after going 13-4 in his first season in Minnesota?

Five head coaches have been named finalists for the NFL coach of the year award: The Eagles' Nick Sirianni, the 49ers' Kyle Shanahan, the Giants' Brian Daboll, the Bills' Sean McDermott, and the Jaguars' Doug Pederson. The winner will be announced during the NFL Honors show on February 9th.

One name who is notably absent? The Vikings' Kevin O'Connell.

On the one hand, all five of those names have legitimate reasons to be finalists. Sirianni took the Eagles from 9-8 to 14-3 in his second season. Shanahan went undefeated down the stretch with Brock Purdy at quarterback. Daboll's Giants massively exceeded expectations in his first year. McDermott's Bills had another great year. Pederson stabilized the Jaguars after the Urban Meyer disaster and won the AFC South.

On the other hand, O'Connell has a pretty strong case too. He took over an 8-9 Vikings team with a locker room culture that had soured under Mike Zimmer. O'Connell came in and quickly changed that culture, connecting with players and making them excited to come to work again. On the field, his focus on situational football and modernized offense helped the Vikings go 13-4, win a record 11 one-score games, and take the NFC North crown for the first time in five years.

Voting was completed prior to the playoffs beginning, so the Vikings' loss to the Giants wasn't a factor here. Still, one imagines Minnesota's negative point differential and several blowout losses being a factor working against O'Connell.

Could it be argued that O'Connell was snubbed? Definitely. But again, who are you taking off? Maybe McDermott? There are a lot of NFL head coaches who had great years, which makes selecting five finalists a difficult task. Someone worthwhile was always going to be left out.

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