Daily Norseman
Today is the day for it
Tonight could be a big night for several members of the Minnesota Vikings organization, as the team has several people up for awards at tonight’s NFL Honors ceremony in New Orleans.
Three members of the team are up for awards based on their performance this past season. Head coach Kevin O’Connell is up for the Coach of the Year Award after leading the Vikings to 14 wins in a year where they were expected to win. . .well, not quite that many. One of his assistants, defensive coordinator Brian Flores, is up for the Assistant Coach of the Year Award after molding the Minnesota defense into one of the league’s best. There’s also quarterback Sam Darnold, who is competing for this year’s Comeback Player of the Year Award after putting together the best season of his NFL career in 2024.
Of those three, O’Connell probably has the best chance of bringing home the hardware, in my opinion. This is the second time in his three seasons as the Vikings’ head coach that he’s led the team to at least 13 wins and, again, the team far exceeded expectations this season.
Tonight is also the night that we’ll learn whether or not former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen will hear the call to Canton as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. This is his fifth attempt at the honor, and hopefully it will be the last year he has to worry about it. There’s no real doubt that Allen should be in, and his wait should be over after tonight. Then again, we’ve said that about a lot of Vikings in the past, too, so who knows how things will go?
The NFL Honors ceremony will air tonight on FOX and the NFL Network, with the festivities getting underway at 8:00 PM Central time.
