It was a memorable moment for head coach Kevin O’Connell last weekend in the locker room at Lumen Field in Seattle.

After the Vikings earned a 27-24 win over the Seahawks, O’Connell went through his usual routine of handing out game balls to his players.

He recognized kicker Will Reichard and punter Ryan Wright for their prowess on special teams. He recognized safety Theo Jackson, edge rusher Dallas Turner, and edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel for the impact they made on defense. He recognized receiver Justin Jefferson and quarterback Sam Darnold for making everything go on offense.

Just before the Vikings started packing up, right tackle Brian O’Neill took the floor, flipping a game ball to O’Connell to recognize him becoming the only head coach in franchise history to win at least 13 games more that once. The locker room erupted and appropriately mobbed their leader in celebration.

As he reflected Friday on that particular exchange, O’Connell couldn’t help but smile.

“Nobody I respect more than Brian O’Neill,” O’Connell said. “To get that from him in that moment was really special.”

It’s clear how much respect O’Connell has earned since taking over the Vikings.

Ask any of his players about him and they will go out of their way to make a pitch for him winning NFL Coach of the Year. As the current betting favorite in Las Vegas, O’Connell could very well be on his way to winning that annual accolade.

Not that any of his players are surprised. They also aren’t surprised that O’Connell has already made franchise history. It’s a testament to the culture he has worked so hard to build over the past few seasons.

“That’s a credit to who he is as a person,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “We’re very fortunate to be able to play under him.”

As for O’Connell getting the game ball, Darnold joked that it was long overdue.

“It was awesome,” Darnold said. “Just the way that KO approaches every single week, the way that he gets us ready, the way that he keeps everything very relaxed on game day, it helps us go out there and play loose and free.”

Briefly

There’s a chance linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (hamstring) could make his return when the Vikings host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon. He is being listed as questionable as he works through the final stages of the recovery process. He would need to be activated off injured reserve in order to play, which means the Vikings would have to make a corresponding roster move.

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