Kevin O'Connell knew Sam Darnold played fantastically Sunday in Nashville.

"Then I watched the tape, and [it] confirmed a lot," the Vikings head coach remarked Monday afternoon.

Darnold's impressiveness was reinforced by analytics site Pro Football Focus, which awarded him the highest single-game offense grade in his career (90.8) after completing 62.5% of his passes for 246 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. Darnold also ran a season-high eight times for 18 yards and a touchdown.

Frankly, the final numbers don't do Darnold's play justice. The Vikings quarterback repeatedly displayed traits that make him a threat to defenses: decisiveness, patience, "sneaky" athleticism and arm talent.

O'Connell said Darnold's "above-the-line play" was a major driving force behind Minnesota’s 23-13 win in Week 11. The bounce-back was the byproduct of revisiting during the week what Darnold has done well.

"When we did that, a lot of the things centered around his feet, his eyes, his ability to use his athleticism when warranted," O'Connell mentioned. "And we knew that would probably come up in the game with the type of interior and edge pressure that we thought we would get. And he was really, really detailed in that – he was really decisive with his reads. And I thought that made him accurate with some big-time throws, some longer than others, but also just [in] his rhythm, the rhythm and timing.

"I think it was a really good foundational kind of growth week, because I think we went back to a lot of those, really highlighting a lot of those things throughout the week, and kind of putting it on Sam to get to that standard every single snap of doing his job," O'Connell continued. "Hopefully it's something consistently that we see moving forward because when he plays like that, regardless of how things are going in other phases of our offense, we're gonna make enough plays to give our team a chance to win."

O'Connell on Monday pinpointed several instances of Darnold deftly going through progressions. On one occasion in Tennessee's high red zone, Darnold looked to his right side, scanned the entire field and hit Justin Jefferson on a choice route to his left on his third or fourth read. Another sample of high-level quarterbacking was Darnold working left to right on Brandon Powell's nifty catch.

Darnold's day was additionally loaded with ad-libbing and off-the-spot throws. It was a great momentum-builder for Minnesota (8-2) ahead of its divisional game at Chicago (4-6) in Week 12.

Along with Darnold's solid reset, here are four takeaways from O'Connell's session with the media:

1. Pass rush stars

Minnesota is maxing out its production off the edge.

Outside linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Pat Jones II starred with a pair of sacks each against the Titans, making the Vikings the league's lone defense featuring three players with 7-plus QB takedowns apiece.

Van Ginkel (8.0), Jones (7.0) and Jonathan Greenard (7.0) are a good bet to sack the quarterback any given Sunday. They're instinctive and intelligent – the types of players coveted by Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores, so he can scatter them across the line of scrimmage and confuse offenses.

For Jones and Van Ginkel, the sack tallies through 10 games are already career bests.

"It's just an overall philosophy," O'Connell shared, zeroing in on Jones. "Pass rushing and the tools that guys really home in on take some time sometimes, and I think Pat's really kind of figured out what he is as a rusher. … It just feels like he's at his best when he's in that attack mode.

"I don't think it's a coincidence those guys have had career years," O'Connell added. "It's really become a strength of our team, and a big reason why we're winning some of these games that are going down to the wire."

Greenard has played lights-out, too, even when sack numbers don't show up. He's attracting main attention from opposing coaches, playing with excellent physicality and cranking the heat when the Vikings need it.

"I just can't say enough about what he's been able to do beyond the stat sheet," O'Connell said. "But also, you know, those impactful, closer-mentality type plays that he has had have been huge."

2. Josh Oliver update

Josh Oliver has been lauded as one of the best run-blocking tight ends in the NFL by Vikings teammates and coaches. Turns out he's an above-average receiver, as well. Oliver snagged three more balls at Tennessee on Sunday, raising his 2024 line to 22-216-3 and totals over the past three weeks to 14-174-2.

Oliver's 216 receiving yards represents a new career high, topping his 213 set over 17 games last season.

Unfortunately, he exited early in the fourth quarter and was diagnosed with a left ankle sprain. O'Connell said the team still is trying to determine the severity of it and working through Oliver's future availability.

O'Connell elaborated on Oliver's across-the-board contributions this season: "I know that everybody's made note of some of the passing-game plays, but just how he plays, how he protects, his physicality in the run game, you really can't speak to just him playing that Y position to the level that he has.

"We're loaded at the tight end position, and Coach (Brian) Angelico does a great job with those guys," O'Connell added, shouting out Johnny Mundt, Nick Muse, Robert Tonyan and Sammis Reyes in addition to Oliver and T.J. Hockenson.

3. Hockenson making an impact

Hockenson is continuing to have a positive effect on Minnesota's offense since returning from an ACL injury. On Sunday, he had two catches for 13 yards in his third game back; though the stats themselves are modest, O'Connell noted the way defenses must account for multiple weapons when Hockenson is on the field.

"He's made some critical plays, either thinking back to the Jacksonville game when there were some real premier looks for him with how they were defending Jordan [Addison] and Justin, and then yesterday had some ops, a couple chain-moving catches," O'Connell said. "And I think he's just continuing to make up for some time lost of actual game action, and he's getting better and better, and we're very fortunate to have him back in there – and that's saying something, just with how remarkable Josh Oliver actually has been."

Asked if there's been a predetermined workload set for Hockenson as he eases back in, O'Connell said the tight end's involvement is dictated by game plan rather than physical ability.

"When you look at it and you have a player like Josh playing at that level, it really allows T.J. to have the maximum impact on the game with how we want to play running the football, a little bit more than maybe we [previously] have during T.J.'s time here," O'Connell said. "There's no set number. It's kind of how the game goes, and T.J. can do everything that we ask him to do."

4. O'Neill impressing on and off the field

Ability has never been questioned when it comes to Brian O'Neill, who's been a reliable constant on Minnesota's offensive line.

But the right tackle is playing even one level higher this year, which is especially appreciated during a season in which left tackle Christian Darrisaw suffered a season-ending knee injury.

"Cam [Robinson] stepped in and has really served admirably from the standpoint of being in a brand-new offense and playing," O'Connell said, "but I think if Brian wasn't playing to the level he consistently has all season long, maybe we'd be in a little bit more of a crisis management mode, but it just doesn't feel like that. Because Brian's been so dang good, so consistent.

"I think he's playing some of if not his best football – the best football I've been around," O'Connell added.

Per PFF, O'Neill has allowed just one sack and nine QB pressures through the Vikings first 10 games. But he's impressed even more off the field.

"And everything he's been on the field, he's been 10 times that from a leadership standpoint," O'Connell continued. "When I'm doing speaking [during postgame], 75 is going to break it down, because I really feel like he's assumed that role. I've let him talk to the team a few times. He's been fantastic.