Questions Answered: Coach of the Year, Duke Shelley as a Starter, Playoff Underdogs
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the December 27th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to DustinBakerNFL@gmail.com.
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Questions Answered: Coach of the Year, Duke Shelley as a Starter, Playoff Underdogs
Q: Do you believe Kevin O’Connell will win the NFL Coach of the Year?
A: No.
O’Connell is actually a longshot to win the award despite the NFL’s second-best record and status as a first-year head coach.
NFL Coach of the Year Odds,
thru Week 16:
Nick Sirianni = -175
Kyle Shanahan = +300
Doug Pederson = +900
Brian Daboll = +1600
Dan Campbell = +2000
Kevin O’Connell = +4000
Mike McCarthy = +10000
Zac Taylor = +10000
Nick Sirianni will win the chip here, but O’Connell deserves to be “second,” if that’s a thing. The sixth-best odds for O’Connell are silly.
It’s also mind-boggling that Dan Campbell from the Lions has better odds of winning over O’Connell. The Lions sabotaged themselves to start the season, firing up a 1-6 record before getting their feces together. There’s evidently honor in beginning a season with a losing mindset, getting to .500, and then sniffing the playoffs. We don’t understand it.
Q: Will the Vikings go back to Cameron Dantzler as a starter when he’s healthy, or stick with Duke Shelley?
A: They’ll likely return to Dantzler when he’s 100% healthy.
But, boy, oh boy, has Shelley made the case to remain in his starting spot. Shelley’s the league’s 14th-best cornerback per Pro Football Focus, and it feels weird to bench a man with that resume.
Shelley will probably remain active on the Vikings defense, but Dantzler doesn’t seem like a man who will be benched. There’s also a decent chance that Shelley is overachieving a bit.
We expect Dantzler to take his job back but won’t be upset if Shelley remains a starter.
Q: Any chance the Vikings open as underdogs in Round 1 of the postseason?
A: The Vikings host a home playoff game no matter what. If the Packers beat the Vikings this weekend and end up reaching the postseason, they would likely be favored over the Vikings in Round 1.
Minnesota will be favored by Vegas if it matches up with the Giants, Commanders, Seahawks, or Lions. But because they’re “the Packers,” Green Bay would be one- or two-point favorites.
Bring them on. The Vikings should take care of business at their building versus any of those teams. The playoffs are for big-boy pants, so Minnesota shouldn’t fear the Packers, Giants, Commanders, Seahawks, or Lions.
Reaction to Vikings Win over Giants
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
