Kevin O’Connell won the NFL’s Coach Of the Year award on Thursday. The win was unsurprising, as O’Connell and the Vikings exceeded preseason expectations by going 14-3. The preseason projections were low because the Vikings had to replace Kirk Cousins and start either rookie J.J. McCarthy or Sam Darnold.

O’Connell earned the notable award by beating out substantial competition. Dan Campbell of the Lions was the runner-up, while Andy Reid of the Chiefs finished in third place. Sean Payton of the Saints and Dan Quinn of the Commanders finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

O’Connell topped runner-up Dan Campbell (Lions), third-place finisher Andy Reid (Chiefs), fourth-place finisher Sean Payton (Denver Broncos) and fifth-place finisher Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders) for the award. O’Connell received 25 of the 50 first-place votes and finished no lower than third on a ballot.