Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was slammed by fans on social media after a seemingly innocuous call ended with the injury of star tackle Christian Darrisaw.

Late in the second quarter of the Vikings’ 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, O’Connell and quarterback Sam Darnold attempted to get one more meaningful play with time in the half running out. Instead of a meaningful play, a Rams player was spotted falling onto the back of Darrisaw’s knee, leaving the 25-year-old writhing in pain.

Play was stopped as the Vikings’ medical staff tended to the injured star. Immediately, fans on social media made their voices heard on O’Connell’s play call, which ended up with Darrisaw being ruled out for the rest of the game.

“Vikings could’ve just kneed the ball and gone to halftime,” one fan began on X (formerly Twitter). “Now they lost Christian Darrisaw, terrible coaching.”

Another fan wrote a more scathing review on the play: “Why the — did [O’Connell] not just have Darnold take a knee there, now Darrisaw is hurt, for what 3-yard run.” With the injury, another fan attempted to understand the implications of Darrisaw’s injury and how that could affect the Vikings in the long run.

“That’s brutal,” the comment began. “Darrisaw has been arguably the best Tackle in football. On top of that the play should have never existed, if they didn’t get called for a holding they were going to take knees instead of running an actual play.”

Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on October 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California

Kevin O’Connell was lambasted on social media after Christian Darrisaw’s injury ( 

Image:

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

By all accounts, fans were left scratching their heads after O’Connell’s play not only led nowhere but also to the injury to Darrisaw. If the star is out for an extended period, that could spell a tough stretch for the Vikings.

In the offseason, Darrisaw signed a contract extension worth $113 million, keeping the star in Minnesota until 2029. The contract was meant to show just how much the Vikings believed in the young star, not just in the 2024 season but beyond.

After the contract was finalized, O’Connell spoke of the impact Darrisaw had and why it was important for Minnesota to do what it could to keep the young star with the Vikings.

“Very, very excited about getting Christian Darrisaw signed under a contract extension,” he said at the time. “One of the best young tackles in our league. All he’s done is continually get better and better, and the expectation is he’s going to continue to do that.”

Ultimately, the Vikings fell to the Rams, 30-20, thanks to an inspired effort from Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. To add insult to injury, Darnold was sacked late in the fourth quarter, effectively sealing the game for Los Angeles, in what could be a springboard performance for the formerly struggling squad.

It remains to be seen how long Darrisaw will be out with the knee injury and how the Vikings will adjust to his absence.