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Betting on NFL Coach Of The Year: Kevin O’Connell Clear Favorite

  • Kevin O’Connell of the surprising Vikings is the NFL Coach of the Year favorite.
  • Just two of the last 12 Coaches of the Year will be a head coach in the playoffs.
  • Check NFL conference odds at BetUS.

 

When the season began, Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers and Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks were the front-runners at +800 to win the NFL Coach of the Year award according to our NFL odds. No. 3 favorite was Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears and he didn’t last the season as he was fired in late November

NFL Coach Of The Year Odds: Kevin O’Connell Clear Betting Favorite on Jan 07th
Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings-Steph Chambers/Getty Images/AFP

Those who were wondering about the current favorites only needed to tune into the Sunday Night Football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions.

All you need to know about how quickly things can change in the NFL is the fact that reigning NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns team missed the playoffs by seven games this season. When looking at NFL betting trends, four of the top 11 vote-getting in the 2023 balloting couldn’t lead their teams into the postseason even though 14 of the 32 make the playoffs.

 

 

Top 4 Contenders to Win the NFL Coach Of The Year Award

1. Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings

Not many NFL expert picks had Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings winning Coach of the Year when the season began, but O’Connell’s odds have moved from +1800 to -1600 since the start of the season.

With the departures of quarterback Kirk Cousins and sack leader Danielle Hunter, expectations were low for the Vikings coming into the season. However, the Vikings went into the regular-season finale with the chance to earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs before falling to the rival Detroit Lions.

The Vikings were priced at -155 to go over 6.5 wins during the regular season and it took them just nine games to top that mark. There was plenty of value with the Vikings priced at +275 to make the playoffs.

O’Connell’s work as an offensive coordinator helped him earn his first head-coaching gig and he worked wonders with quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold was brought in to be a caretaker until rookie J.J. McCarthy was ready to take control of the offense.

Minnesota was 13th at +4000 to be the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs before the season opener according to BetUS Sportsbook.

Darnold, playing for his fourth team in the last five seasons, has thrown for 4319 yards and 35 touchdowns. Minnesota allowed the second-fewest points among NFC teams so O’Connell did more than just breathe into the offense.

 

2. Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions

Dan Campbell finished third in the NFL Coach of the Year voting during the 2023 season as he received three first-place votes after guiding Detroit to a 12-5 record.

Although playoff results don’t factor into the Coach of the Year voting, he helped Detroit win its first playoff game since 1991.


There were lofty expectations coming into the season so the NFL betting lines had Campbell at +2000 to be the first Detroit Lions coach since Wayne Fontes in 1991 to be named the NFL Coach of the Year.

Detroit went 15-2 to earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

Campbell’s body of work would have won him the Coach of the Year Award in many seasons. With the Lions continuing to win despite injuries to star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson and other key players, the odds went to +650.

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3. Dan Quinn Washington Commanders

The NFC East race was supposed to be a battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.

It did end up being a two-team battle for supremacy but it was Washington and not Dallas that came the closest to grounding the Eagles. Washington had +250 odds to make the playoffs with -110 odds to go over 6.5 wins during the regular season.

Washington heads into the season with a 12-5 record with Rookie of the Year front-runner Jayden Daniels providing the best quarterback play that the Commanders have had in years.

Quinn’s Coach of the Year odds went from +2000 to +3500 since the start of the season.

 

4. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

It is hard to believe that Andy Reid hasn’t won the NFL Coach of the Year award since 2002 when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles. As the head coach of a Kansas City Chiefs franchise that has won three of the last four Super Bowls, he has gotten his hands on a more coveted piece of hardware – the Lombardi Trophy.

Kansas City enters the playoffs with the best record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC despite a 38-0 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday when many of the top players for the Chiefs sat out the game. The Chiefs came into the season with -265 odds to win another AFC West Division title so it is uncertain what Reid could have done to become the Coach of the Year betting favorite.

He was tied with Quinn at +3500 as the No. 3 favorite after the opening NFL betting line NFL Coach of the Year betting lines had him at +6000.

 

5. Sean Payton

Apparently, former Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton still has the magic touchdown.

NFL news outlets and betting experts expected great things when Payton teamed with quarterback Russell Wilson last season. That didn’t quite work out during the 2023 season. With Wilson landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and rookie Bo Nix taking over as the Denver QB, the Broncos were the final AFC team to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Payton came into the season at +3500 in the odds of winning the NFL Coach of the Year honor for the first time since 2006. With some late-season struggles by the Broncos, the odds went to +12500.

 

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets

 

 

Questions Of The Day

Who holds the record for most NFL Coach of the Year awards?


Don Shula won The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award a record four times and was also a four-time winner of the Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year honor.

Which active coach has been named the NFL Coach of the Year the most?


Kevin Stefanski is a two-time winner of The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year. Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs won the Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year three times.

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