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Kevin O'Connell May Keep the Vikings From Repeating the 2016 Season

The Minnesota Vikings have won their first three games of the 2026 season, but the victories have been less than convincing. While their defense and special teams have largely been on point, their offense has been in a rut, cycling through quarterbacks and doing just enough to win.

Like many seasons in Vikings history, fans may feel like they’ve been here before. In 2016, the Vikings raced out to a 5-0 start, but their weaknesses became more apparent as the year went on. The result was a 3-8 finish and a January spent on the couch.

But this year may be a little different, and the difference could be that Kevin O’Connell knows how to ride the wave of momentum to keep that from happening again

Like many seasons in Vikings history, fans may feel like they’ve been here before. In 2016, the Vikings raced out to a 5-0 start, but their weaknesses became more apparent as the year went on. The result was a 3-8 finish and a January spent on the couch.

But this year may be a little different, and the difference could be that Kevin O’Connell knows how to ride the wave of momentum to keep that from happening again

Even in 2025, O’Connell found a way to build momentum. At 4-8, the Vikings were virtually eliminated from playoff contention. Somehow, he got the locker room to buy into making their high school selves proud, and it led to a five-game winning streak that ended a disastrous campaign.

That momentum carried over into this year, where the Vikings scored a comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, a soggy win over the Chicago Bears in Week 2, and used a fast start to hang on against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. While it wasn’t a picture-perfect win, it’s enough to get the locker room to believe, which was the opposite of what Zimmer did 10 years ago.

The 2016 season began with a thud as Teddy Bridgewater suffered a freak leg injury in the practices leading up to the opener. The Vikings traded for Sam Bradford, but learning the offense on the fly with a leaky offensive line limited him. Adrian Peterson also suffered a torn meniscus in the second game, which complicated matters. Minnesota was getting by on defense and special teams.

Zimmer let his team know about it, calling his offensive line “soft” and slashing stuffed animals to place around the old team facility at Winter Park to remind them that “fat cats get slaughtered.”

While there was some grey area in that incident that may or may not have been slathered in red paint, the damage was done. The offensive line fell apart with left tackle Matt Kalil also going down with an injury. Jake Long’s cameo to replace him lasted one game, and by the end of the year the Vikings’ secondary went rogue in a Christmas Eve loss to the Packers, culminating in a disappointing season after a promising start.

To avoid this fate, the process is simple. Aside from staying away from stuffed animals, O’Connell can keep building Kyler Murray’s confidence after an uneven first full start against the Buccaneers. Justin Jefferson avoided a major injury after leaving Sunday’s game, so Murray should have his full cast of weapons again when Jordan Mason is eligible to return from injured reserve in a Week 7 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Vikings defense seems more stable than it was 10 years ago, and Brian Flores seems to have earned his players’ trust and respect. Myles Price emerging as a strong punt and kick returner should also help special teams. It should help the Vikings keep winning games, even if the offense isn’t driving those results.

Ultimately, the vibes may matter, and O’Connell has already learned how to harness them and make sure the Vikings don’t end up with the same fate they had in 2016.