Rams Gave Kevin O'Connell Clarity After Vikings Postseason Beatdown

But that's why he makes the big bucks in the NFL, and for 2024 NFL Coach of the Year Kevin O'Connell, watching a 13-3 season fall apart in the way that it did, with how quickly it happened, that either turns a person into a hater or a motivator.

Well, he's the latter because his playoff loss to the Rams motivated O'Connell to motivate a front office that was being ineffective into producing a championship-level lineup, with Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reporting on the moves Minnesota made.

"Maybe I’m bringing this up because I saw Ryan Kelly hanging out at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel where the NFL meetings were being held (rookies and new vets stay there)," wrote Breer. "Maybe it’s because we were in the shadow of Minnesota’s college-campus-like headquarters."

"Either way, the Vikings moved mountains this offseason to fix what ended their 2024 season, and I think it’s worth taking a harder look at."

The Vikings' biggest issue was with their offensive line. The Rams' defensive line swarmed Sam Darnold so in the same way the Rams spent the 2025 offseason building their roster to beat the Eagles, the Vikings did the same for the Rams.

"While some folks used the team’s 27–9 ouster at the hands of the Rams as an indictment of Sam Darnold, the Vikings saw it more as a sign of how much work was ahead in fixing what was in front of the quarterback. Darnold was sacked nine times that night, a week after being knocked around by a depleted Lions front in Week 18."

"As such, three of the team’s five starting linemen from that night are already gone, and a fourth, Blake Brandel, is unlikely to start in 2025, leaving only right tackle Brian O’Neill as the lone projected returning starter. The investment in a revamped line has been heavy:

• Will Fries signed a five-year, $87.72 million deal with $34 million fully guaranteed to displace Dalton Risner at right guard. Risner is still a free agent.

• Kelly got a two-year, $18 million deal to come with Fries from Indy, and make the Vikings bigger and stronger at center. He replaces Garrett Bradbury, who got a two-year, $9.5 million deal from the New England Patriots.

• The Vikings then drafted Donovan Jackson in the first round to play left guard. Brandel, who signed an economical extension to stay with Minnesota in 2024, is the incumbent."

"Add to that the top-of-market deals done for O’Neill and left tackle Christian Darrisaw—who is coming back from a torn ACL, and had in-season addition Cam Robinson in his place at the end of last year—and you can see all that Minnesota has done not just to fix an issue it had in the playoffs, but turn it into a legitimate team strength. Maybe that was best illustrated via the decision to take Jackson at pick No. 24 after paying Kelly and Fries."

"All this, of course, should give J.J. McCarthy a great shot to succeed in his first year starting."

But that last sentence is why Rams fans shouldn't be too worried. Who knows what the Vikings have in J.J. McCarthy. What I do know is that when Michigan's undefeated season was on the line at Penn State, they took the ball out of McCarthy's hands and gave it to Rams' running back Blake Corum. Take that how you will.