The Vikings wore their pristine white “Winter Warrior” uniforms, and their fans dressed like snowdrifts.
Souhan: The Vikings’ difference-maker wore a ballcap and headset, not a helmet. Kevin O’Connell, take a bow.
O’Connell’s coaching, particularly with quarterback Sam Darnold, is the reason the Vikings are winning. A lack of coaching is the reason the Bears are losing.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 17, 2024 at 6:23AM
Vanilla Ice performed at halftime.
To add a whiter shade of pale, Joe Mauer sounded the Gjallarhorn.
The Vikings called the occasion a “Whiteout.” It looked like a reenactment of the infamous Halloween blizzard of 1991.
The score that would have fit the occasion would have been a shutout, putting a white circle on the scoreboard.
Instead, the Vikings settled for beating a team with a void on the sideline, easing to a 30-12 victory over the Chicago Bears on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Given the current context of the Vikings’ surprising season, their performance was hardly surprising.
Considering what realists expected of this team, and where the Bears were not so long ago — needing only to survive a Hail Mary to improve to 5-2 — this game provided a reminder of what steady leadership means in the NFL.
The Bears had the first pick in the draft and added talented offensive players to a roster already featuring quality defenders. Now they’re 4-10, their first-round pick looks perpetually indecisive, and they’ll be looking for another head coach in a few weeks.
The Bears had a chance to compete on Monday night, but they failed to score in the first half, and settled for a third-quarter field goal after a touchdown run was nullified because a lineman didn’t report as eligible before lining up at fullback.
The Vikings are where they are — tied for first place in the NFL’s best division — and the Bears are where they are largely because of coaching.
If the Bears had signed Sam Darnold, they’d probably be … 4-10.
If the Vikings had drafted Caleb Williams, he’d probably be the talk of the league.
When “culture” became a popular sports buzzword, it became so ubiquitous that it quickly lost relevance. If everything could be described as “culture,” then what did the word mean?
Like art and pass interference, you know it when you see it.
We’re seeing it this season from Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff.
O’Connell’s job is to excel at play-calling, strategy, game management, player development and cultivating a winning atmosphere.
Here’s a winning example of each from Monday night:
Play-calling: Facing third-and-16 late in the first half, O’Connell had his wideouts run deep and tight end T.J. Hockenson hesitate before releasing into his route. The result: an easy pass and a 16-yard gain that set up an eventual field goal that made it 13-0.
Strategy: On the first touchdown of the game, O’Connell had Jalen Nailor go in motion, giving him three receivers to the left. Tight end Josh Oliver ran a short route to the right. Jefferson broke off the line, was the only one of the three wideouts to head to the right, and wound up wide open at the back of the end zone for an easy touchdown. It was the second game in a row that Jefferson found himself virtually uncovered for a score — a remarkable development considering defenses usually build their game plans around stopping him.
Game management: OK, so KO isn’t perfect. He opted to go for a fourth-and-3 instead of kicking a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter. The aggressiveness is endearing, but taking an almost sure three points when you lead an inferior team is probably the way to go. Not that it mattered Monday.
Player development: O’Connell has done his best work with quarterback Darnold. He also has revived Jordan Addison’s young career. Addison did not reach 75 receiving yards in any of the Vikings’ first eight games and was looking like a questionable first-round draft pick. In his past four games, he is averaging seven catches for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Atmosphere: O’Connell made Kirk Cousins comfortable and got a 13-victory season out of him, and now he’s made Darnold comfortable and could win 14 or 15 with him. While the Eagles perform a drama a week, it’s hard to remember the last time a Viking offered a public complaint about anything.
The difference in the talent levels is not as different as these teams’ records would suggest, yet the Bears are an embarrassment and the Vikings are chasing the No. 1 seed.
The Vikings won their seventh game in a row, beating the reeling Bears 30-12 on Monday night to join the Lions and Eagles at 12-2, the best record in the NFC.
