Five NFL teams already have exceeded their win totals for the entire 2023 season.
8-2! Surprised? You might be, but Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell sure isn’t.
The Vikings are among five NFL teams that have already surpassed their victory total of 2023. Kevin O’Connell says he expected it.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 21, 2024 at 1:28AM
Washington, 7-4 with new head coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, leads the way with a three-win improvement. The 8-2 Vikings are, however, the only team to need only 10 games to exceed as many as seven wins from last season.
Surely, that has to surprise coach Kevin O’Connell just a teeny bit, right?
Not exactly, he says.
“I tried to portray my [high] expectations from the very first time I stood in front of this team in training camp when we reported in late July,” O’Connell said. “There hasn’t been [any surprises] because I’ve tried to push beyond maybe their own personal expectations early or anything they might have been hearing [negatively] … about our team. I’ve tried to wade my way through that and eliminate all of that.”
The other teams to exceed last year’s win totals are Carolina (3-7, plus-1), Arizona (6-4, plus-2) and the Chargers (7-3, plus-2).
Four of the NFC’s top seven seeds now belong to teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year: No. 3 Arizona, No. 4 Atlanta, No. 5 Vikings and No. 7 Washington. Two of the AFC’s top seven seeds belong to teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year: No. 5 Chargers and No. 7 Denver.
Oliver sits, Darnold limited
Tight end Josh Oliver, who suffered ankle and wrist injuries in Sunday’s win at Tennessee, did not practice Wednesday. During the current three-game winning streak, Oliver has had 12 of his 19 catches for 144 of his career-high 216 yards and one of his career-high three touchdowns.
Limited in practice were quarterback Sam Darnold (foot) and defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard (toe). Darnold said the foot “felt really good” Wednesday.
Meanwhile, tight end Nick Muse, who has been on injured reserve since Week 3, returned to practice after his 21-day window to return opened.
Four Bears did not practice Wednesday: offensive linemen Kiran Amegadjie (calf) and Ryan Bates (concussion), defensive back Elijah Hicks (ankle) and running back D’Andre Swift (groin).
O’Neill is shutdown tackle … but here comes Sweat
Is there such a thing as a shutdown tackle? Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill is making his case, with only one sack allowed in 10 games and not a single pressure allowed during the team’s current three-game winning streak.
O’Neill has played all 650 offensive snaps this season. He has played at least 96% of the offensive snaps every year since 2019, his second season.
But perhaps his toughest test of the season comes Sunday in Chicago against Montez Sweat. The last time the two met — on “Monday Night Football” in Week 12 of last season — Sweat had 1½ sacks in a 12-10 Bears win. O’Neill, meanwhile, had his worst pass protection grade of the season from Pro Football Focus (44.7).
Sweat had 12½ sacks last year with Washington and Chicago. He has 3½ this year.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is completing more passes more often for more touchdowns than he ever has. “What we’re trying to get from Sam is to play the best football of his career,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
