The apple has not fallen far from the tree for at least a few of Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay’s disciples.
One of the former disciples that has most enjoyed the same coaching success McVay has had in Los Angeles is the current leader of his upcoming NFL wild card game opponent: Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
O’Connell is one of two of McVay’s six former coordinators or assistants who hold a winning record since leaving Los Angeles to claim a head coaching job of their own. The Vikings head coach’s ability to develop quarterback talent, especially in helping veterans who may have struggled in the past, has become renowned in the NFL in recent years.
O’Connell’s latest success story has been Sam Darnold, the former No. 3 overall pick who helped lead Minnesota, his fourth team in five years, to a 14-win season and playoff berth.
On Monday night, O’Connell, Darnold and the Vikings come up against McVay’s Rams in a battle to determine who will play the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round next week.
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Sean McVay coaching tree
The following six coaches were all former McVay disciples who went on to hold an NFL head coaching job after their time in Los Angeles. Here’s who they are, ranked by winning percentage as head coaches:
Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers | 2019-present: 67-33 record (67%)
LaFleur just barely edges out O’Connell by regular season win percentage. His three consecutive 13-win seasons with quarterback Aaron Rodgers help him there, but he has been able to continue to find success in the post-Rodgers era with current Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love. LaFleur is 3-5 in the playoffs.
Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings | 2022-present: 34-17 record (66.7%)
O’Connell’s winning percentage as a head coach is mere decimal points behind LaFleur’s. His success has largely been a result of how he’s been able to build his team’s offenses around a quarterback’s skill set to allow the player, as well as the offense as a whole, to thrive. O’Connell is 0-1 in the playoffs.
Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers | 2021-2023: 24-24 record (50%)
Staley is one of just two former Rams defensive coordinators to find a gig as a head coach, and he didn’t have to look far to find it. He made it through two-and-a-half seasons before the Chargers fired him three weeks before the end of last season. Staley had a 0-1 record in the playoffs.
Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons | 2024-present*: 8-9 (47.1%)
Morris is the other former Rams defensive coordinator to have earned a head coach job after his time in Los Angeles. He returned to Atlanta this year after serving as the Falcons’ interim head coach for 11 games in 2020. His team went 8-9 and was in contention for the NFC South title as late as Week 18. Morris has never coached a team to the playoffs.
*Morris served as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2009-2011) and as interim head coach of the Falcons (2020) before his tenure under McVay. This record only reflects his success since his three-year stint in Los Angeles (2021-2023).
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals | 2019-present: 46-52-1 record (47%)
Only one of the McVay coaching tree’s members has been to the Super Bowl, and, naturally, he lost to McVay’s Rams once he got there. Taylor’s Bengals have had one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL since 2019 with quarterback Joe Burrow throwing to wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to great success each year. Taylor has a 5-2 playoff record with the only two losses coming in the aforementioned Super Bowl and in the AFC championship game (to the Kansas City Chiefs) the following year.
Thomas Brown, Chicago Bears* | 2024-2024: 1-4 record (20%)
Brown is technically the least successful of McVay’s disciples, but he only has a sample size of five games. He was the Bears’ interim head coach for the final five games of the season and earned his first win as a head coach in Green Bay during Week 18.
*Brown only served as an interim head coach for five games for the Bears this year.
Sean McVay coaching tree record vs. Rams
Here’s how each of McVay’s disciples have fared when facing the Rams, listed in the order they got their head coach jobs:
Matt LaFleur (Packers): 4-0 regular season; 1-0 postseason
Zac Taylor (Bengals): 1-1 regular season; 0-1 postseason
Brandon Staley (Chargers): 1-0 regular season
Kevin O’Connell (Vikings): 0-2 regular season
Raheem Morris (Falcons): N/A
Thomas Brown (Bears): N/A
Overall: 6-3 regular season; 1-1 postseason