As a Vikings fan, I’m still on cloud nine after our 27-24 victory over Detroit on Sunday. It was incredibly refreshing to see J.J. McCarthy start his third NFL game on the road and perform so well, especially after the offense struggled with an injured Carson Wentz at quarterback in the losses against the Eagles and Chargers. McCarthy wasn’t perfect, but he certainly did enough to lead the Vikings to a win, and frankly, he overcame some coaching decisions by Kevin O’Connell that defied logic.
With almost four minutes remaining and the ball near the goal line, with Minnesota leading 21-14, O’Connell called a run play with Jordan Mason, a running back acquired from the 49ers for precisely these situations. Mason lost half a yard, and then KOC inexplicably called pass plays on second and third down. The second-down pass was thrown behind Justin Jefferson for an incompletion, stopping the clock (and could have been intercepted). On third down, McCarthy made a crucial error by scrambling out of bounds instead of taking a sack to force Detroit to use a timeout, not finding an open receiver.
As a result, the Vikings settled for a field goal, and on the very next drive, Detroit quickly scored to make it 24-21 without having to use a timeout. After Detroit’s kickoff, Minnesota had two unsuccessful run plays on first and second down. Ultimately, McCarthy and Jalen Nailor bailed out their coach with a clutch back-shoulder throw and catch on third down to seal the victory.
I genuinely like Kevin O’Connell and believe he’s a good coach. However, I’ve come to the realization that he’s somewhat like the Brett Favre of coaches. He’ll win more games than he’ll lose, but he’ll also make decisions with that “gunslinger” mentality that leaves fans scratching their heads.
Favre, of course, brought glory back to Green Bay, winning the Super Bowl in the 1996-97 season with Desmond Howard’s special teams plays and a stellar defense led by Reggie White. Yet, it’s often argued that Favre left more Super Bowl appearances on the table due to bone-headed plays in the postseason. Unexplainable interceptions for Green Bay in a playoff game against the Eagles, an NFC Championship game against the Giants, and, as Vikings fans painfully recall, a ridiculous throw to Tracy Porter against the Saints in the 2009-10 NFC Championship Game all cost Favre a chance at more Super Bowl rings.
Favre had a stellar Hall of Fame career, but the question of “could there have been more?” will always hover over one of the most exciting players to step on an NFL field. If O’Connell finally brings a Lombardi Trophy to Minnesota, just as Favre ended Green Bay’s drought, I will be as happy as anyone, and I do believe he is the coach to do it. I’ll tolerate KOC’s occasional strange decisions for the Vikings to finally get a ring. But he better get it done.
With almost four minutes remaining and the ball near the goal line, with Minnesota leading 21-14, O’Connell called a run play with Jordan Mason, a running back acquired from the 49ers for precisely these situations. Mason lost half a yard, and then KOC inexplicably called pass plays on second and third down. The second-down pass was thrown behind Justin Jefferson for an incompletion, stopping the clock (and could have been intercepted). On third down, McCarthy made a crucial error by scrambling out of bounds instead of taking a sack to force Detroit to use a timeout, not finding an open receiver.
As a result, the Vikings settled for a field goal, and on the very next drive, Detroit quickly scored to make it 24-21 without having to use a timeout. After Detroit’s kickoff, Minnesota had two unsuccessful run plays on first and second down. Ultimately, McCarthy and Jalen Nailor bailed out their coach with a clutch back-shoulder throw and catch on third down to seal the victory.
I genuinely like Kevin O’Connell and believe he’s a good coach. However, I’ve come to the realization that he’s somewhat like the Brett Favre of coaches. He’ll win more games than he’ll lose, but he’ll also make decisions with that “gunslinger” mentality that leaves fans scratching their heads.
Favre, of course, brought glory back to Green Bay, winning the Super Bowl in the 1996-97 season with Desmond Howard’s special teams plays and a stellar defense led by Reggie White. Yet, it’s often argued that Favre left more Super Bowl appearances on the table due to bone-headed plays in the postseason. Unexplainable interceptions for Green Bay in a playoff game against the Eagles, an NFC Championship game against the Giants, and, as Vikings fans painfully recall, a ridiculous throw to Tracy Porter against the Saints in the 2009-10 NFC Championship Game all cost Favre a chance at more Super Bowl rings.
Favre had a stellar Hall of Fame career, but the question of “could there have been more?” will always hover over one of the most exciting players to step on an NFL field. If O’Connell finally brings a Lombardi Trophy to Minnesota, just as Favre ended Green Bay’s drought, I will be as happy as anyone, and I do believe he is the coach to do it. I’ll tolerate KOC’s occasional strange decisions for the Vikings to finally get a ring. But he better get it done.
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