Is It Time for a Different Play-Caller?
For the second straight week, play-caller Kevin O’Connell has come under criticism.
In their Week 9 matchup against the Lions, the Vikings led by seven points and had the ball on the Lions’ two-yard line with 3:44 left in the game. The Vikings could have essentially iced the game by running the ball twice, bleeding another minute and a half off the clock, then kicking a field goal to go up by two scores with just over two minutes left.
Instead, the Vikings called consecutive pass plays: one fell incomplete (and was nearly picked off), the other ended in a QB scramble out of bounds. Both plays stopped the clock and allowed the Lions back into the game.
This week, things got even worse. The Vikings averaged 6.7 yards per carry, yet they consistently got away from the run in short-yardage situations. On the season, the Vikings have passed more than they have run on 3rd or 4th-and-short, though their conversion rate is much higher when they run.
The Vikings continue to have difficulty executing basic elements of the game. On Sunday, they committed eight false starts at home, and they’ve had season-long issues with procedural penalties like delay of game. At a key moment in the final drive against the Lions, J.J. McCarthy and Jordan Mason ran different plays, and McCarthy ended up with the ball on what should have been a handoff.
It’s not surprising that disappointed Vikings fans are calling for a change. But Kevin O’Connell has built up a lot of goodwill en route to a 38-22 record as the Vikings’ head coach, and a 4-5 record with a first-year starting QB is not nearly enough to warrant a firing.
But what about an intermediate measure: keep KOC as the head coach, but delegate play-calling duties to OC Wes Phillips?
The problem with this solution is twofold. First, it isn’t clear that Wes Phillips—a man who has never been a play-caller in the NFL—will actually be able to fix the problem. It’s very possible, even probable, that the Vikings’ procedural issues would get even worse.
Second, there is little reason to think that the Vikings can’t fix their issues if they make them a priority. Increasing the ratio of run-plays to pass-plays is such an easy fix that even a Madden gamer can do it. And if 31 other teams—some of whom have rather incompetent head coaches—can avoid so many procedural penalties, it’s reasonable to believe that the reigning Coach of the Year can do it, too.
Furthermore, while KOC undoubtedly bears some responsibility for the procedural problems, some of it also belongs to McCarthy, who is still learning how to operate an NFL offense.
And while it may be hard to believe right now amidst the frustration of the season, it’s worth remembering that O’Connell’s play-calling has produced remarkable success amidst some of the failure. Even last week against Detroit, O’Connell’s decision to pass on 3rd-and-5 (at the risk of stopping the clock) allowed the Vikings to put the final nail in the coffin.
In his four seasons in Minnesota, KOC’s play-calling has produced both big wins (with a large margin of victory) and signature wins (over some of the best teams in the league).
So, in the end, firing or demoting Kevin O’Connell just isn’t the right move. Things should get better for the Vikings’ offense, but they need to get serious about fixing them now, or it will be too late to save the 2025 season.