Vikings' Kevin O'Connell, Brian Flores and Sam Darnold named AP award finalists
MINNEAPOLIS — Three members of the magical (but not quite magical enough) 2024 Minnesota Vikings are finalists for major awards.
The NFL and Associated Press unveiled the finalists for year-end awards on Thursday, and among them are Kevin O'Connell for Coach of the Year, Brian Flores for Assistant Coach of the Year and Sam Darnold for Comeback Player of the Year.
O'Connell, who just earned a contract extension with the Vikings, led the team to a 14-3 record, despite low preseason expectations. With a bridge quarterback — we'll get to him shortly — uncertainty on the defensive side and a difficult division, most expected this to be a rebuilding year for the Vikings. Instead, they were battling for the No. 1 seed in the NFC in Week 18, thanks in large part to O'Connell's offensive scheme and leadership.
Also on Thursday, O'Connell was named the Pro Football Writers of America's Coach of the Year.
In his second year as the Vikings' defensive coordinator, Flores' unit finished fifth in scoring defense and first in turnovers. The defense ranked third in expected points added per play and seventh in success rate. During a midseason lull where Darnold and O'Connell's offense were underperforming, Flores' defense kept the team afloat. Flores' stellar performance earned him some head coaching interviews this cycle, but with spots filling quick, it's looking likely he'll be with Minnesota for at least another year.
O'Connell and Flores wouldn't have been uncommon preseason bets for their respective awards, but Darnold's performance this year was as close to "out of nowhere" as you get in the NFL. The former first-round pick flamed out with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before being relegated to backup duty with the San Francisco 49ers. When the Vikings signed him in the offseason to keep the ship steady while first-round pick J.J. McCarthy got his sea legs, expectations were tampered at best. But Darnold proved to be one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league, completing 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl and was even talked about as an MVP candidate for a stretch.
Darnold was named the PFWA's Most Improved Player on Friday.
Of the three Vikings candidates, O'Connell seems to be the most likely to win his category. Darnold and Flores both have stronger competition in their categories, and their success could be attributed to a sort of trickle-down effect from O'Connell.
The winners will be announced at the NFL Honors on Feb. 6.