Kevin O’Connell Might Be a Magician
The Minnesota Vikings are the final team to play in Week 1, but the first 15 games of the 2025 campaign have already delivered some sweet football. Kevin O’Connell’s squad might have watched the Packers dismantle the Lions on Sunday, and it would be interesting to hear their thoughts about that.
Kevin O’Connell Might Be a Magician
Other games included a 33-8 victory of the Indianapolis Colts over the Miami Dolphins. That game between a pair of AFC teams doesn’t have much of an impact on the Vikings, but a couple of former employees were outstanding.
Safety Cam Bynum caught an interception thrown by Tua Tagovailoa and introduced his touchdown celebrations to the Indianapolis crowd. He was excellent last year, so it’s not surprising to see him continue to thrive.
Daniel Jones’ story is different, though. The New York Giants axed their passer last season, and he joined the Vikings on the practice squad. Those few weeks with the organization and especially with Kevin O’Connell, a certified QB-whisperer, might have revived his career.
On Sunday, in his Colts debut, Jones completed 22 of 29 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown. He also added 26 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
ESPN’s Stephen Holder wrote, “Jones had not started a game since he was benched by the New York Giants last season and, later, released by the team that once drafted him No. 6 overall. But he got a chance at redemption in March when he signed a one-year deal with the Colts and, last month, won a preseason competition with Anthony Richardson Sr.”
Richardson brings all the physical components to the table, but at this point in his career, he doesn’t have the consistent arm to run an NFL offense. Jones does, and he proved it on Sunday.
Holder added, “Sunday, Jones completed 22 of 29 attempts for 272 yards, adding three total touchdowns (one passing, two rushing) en route to a dominant win. He became the first quarterback to throw for at least 250 yards and have three touchdowns in a Colts debut.”
Prior to his stint with the Vikings, Jones had a horrendous 2023 season, which started with him throwing for two touchdowns and six interceptions in six games, just months after eliminating the Vikings from the postseason. He then suffered a torn ACL and missed the remainder of the year. In 2024, he returned to start for the Giants, and once again didn’t look too comfortable, resulting in eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in ten games before his release.
Once he joined the Vikings, he had the chance to take a step back and reevaluate himself while working with a fantastic coaching staff.
Tom Pelissero reported in December, “Short-term, the focus for Jones is just getting into the game plans, learning the language, learning the protections. He’s spending extra time every day with Kevin O’Connell, Grant Udinski, as well as Josh McCown. He’s just learning how they want him to play the position,” Pelissero continued.”
O’Connell, plus his assistants, have gotten MVP-level play out of Kirk Cousins for eight games; they made Joshua Dobbs look like a star for a couple of weeks, and Sam Darnold, on the verge of becoming a journeyman backup, tossed 35 touchdowns under their guidance. They might have helped Jones, too.
Late in the season, O’Connell claimed, “Daniel’s been quietly behind the scenes, putting in some phenomenal work. [I’m] probably more excited now than I was to get him in here day one just by what he’s shown us already.”
Minnesota promoted him from the practice squad to the 53-man roster for the playoff game, which made him eligible for a compensatory pick should he depart in free agency. He did, indeed, depart to compete with Richardson, and he won the job.
Following his Week 1 heroics, Jones was not interested in any buzz: “I think I’ve learned over the years, it’s a long 17-game season and you’ve got to play at a high level for the whole time,” Jones noted. “So, a good start. I think we feel good about the start for sure, some things to clean up and work on, but I think everyone on our team’s mature enough, knows enough, that we’ve got to continue to grow and improve. The best teams in the league continue to build on success.”
Has O’Connell single-handedly fixed the passer in the few weeks or months together? He will probably never claim that accomplishment for himself, and his new coach, Shane Steichen, and his staff deserve their credit, of course. Perhaps all Jones needed was some time out of the spotlight and a change of scenery.
For now, the 28-year-old has rejuvenated his career, but the NFL is a week-to-week business, and his next foe will be the Denver Broncos in the Peyton Manning Bowl. Denver has one of the league’s top defenses.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.