There’s a world in which the Vikings lose every game the rest of the season. They will likely be underdogs both times they play the Detroit Lions, including at home on Christmas Eve, and the matchup with the Green Bay Packers on New Year’s Eve feels like nothing more than a coin flip.

That doesn’t mean every result should be a case study on whether somebody deserves to lose his job.

The following needs to be said because a large portion of the fan base has forgotten: Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is darn good at what he does.

He proved that last season by leading the Vikings to a 13-4 record in the name of situational mastery. He proved that this season by keeping the Vikings competitive through a tumultuous stretch that included losing franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins, then being forced to pick up the pieces with a combination of three quarterbacks — veteran Nick Mullens, rookie Jaren Hall and journeyman Josh Dobbs.

The fact that the Vikings still have a pretty good chance at making the playoffs is a testament to the way O’Connell has managed to keep the ship steady during the storm. Not once have the Vikings looked like a group of players who are feeling sorry for themselves. They have pressed on with the belief that everything they want to accomplish is out in front of them.

Not that everything has been perfect.

The past month has left the door open for criticism as O’Connell and his team have struggled at times on the sidelines. The second-year head coach probably got too conservative while playing with a lead in a 21-20 loss to the Denver Broncos, then made a similar mistake in a 12-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. He followed that with a lifeless performance offensively that somehow culminated in 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The frustration that started to build across the fan base devolved into vitriol on social media after last Saturday’s 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. It got so bad that the phrase “Fire KOC” was trending on the website formerly known as Twitter.

It was ridiculous.

The sequence that most infuriated the armchair play callers watching on their couch was O’Connell unsuccessfully dialing up the Tush Push on consecutive plays in overtime. A few minutes later, the Vikings retreated to the locker room as losers, and parts of the fan base imploded into itself.

There were people that want to strip O’Connell of play-calling duties. Never mind that the offense put up more than 400 yards while overcoming a pair of interceptions from Mullens in the process. There were people who wanted to replace O’Connell with defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Never mind that the defense was unquestionably the biggest reason the lead evaporated in the final minutes.

Are we going to do this every time the Vikings lose? Get a grip.

Though it’s fair to criticize some of the decisions that O’Connell has made as of late, calling for him to be fired is a massive overreaction that needs to stop. You can want running back Ty Chandler to get the ball in a short-yardage situation without wanting O’Connell to be excommunicated if he chooses to do something else.

Truthfully, the scapegoating will likely continue until the Vikings finish up this season. The emotions are running too high right now for people to be logical. It’s impossible to step back and see the bigger picture while living and dying with each win or loss.

If the Vikings end up making the playoffs, O’Connell deserves praise for making it work regardless of if it was Cousins, Mullens, Hall or Dobbs under center. If the Vikings end up missing the playoffs, O’Connell deserves a pass because nobody in franchise history has had to deal with more adversity at the most important position on the field.

Either way, there’s no question that O’Connell is the right man for the job, and the fan base will come to realize that soon enough.

Just because the honeymoon phase is over doesn’t mean this still can’t be a good marriage.

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