Kevin O'Connell accomplishes rare feat vs. Packers, played big factor in Vikings getting win

The Minnesota Vikings made things more difficult on themselves than it needed to be. After going up 28-0 , the Vikings nearly lost the game in beating the Green Bay Packers by just two points at 31-29.

It was the tale of two halves as the Vikings dominated in the first half but struggled to get pressure on defense and it nearly cost them in the end. There were three plays that stook out on Sunday where head coach Kevin O'Connell made the difference.

Kevin O'Connell accomplishes rare feat

Through the first two-plus seasons of his head coaching career, O'Connell hasn't used the coaches challenge much. Heading into Sunday's game, O'Connell had used just 12 challenges with 6 of them having been successful. He also had used multiple challenges in a game just one time and that came last season against the New Orleans Saints.

On Sunday, he didn't just have his second game of multiple challenges, he made three challenges and became the first head coach in Vikings history to do so. Mike Zimmer made three challenges against the Carolina Panters in 2020 but his last one failed.

The three plays ended up being pivotal: Romeo Doubs catch on a dig route, Dontayvion Wicks' third-down catch and Justin Jefferson's catch on the sideline when trying to run the clock out. O'Connell was proven right on all three of them.

Overall in his career, O'Connell is 9-6 on challenges including 3-1 so far in 2024. A pretty good record through two plus years.

Related: Justin Jefferson comes through in a big way to highlight Vikings studs and duds vs. Packers