KOC gives his pitch for why London NFL fans should support the Vikings

The Vikings’ showdown against the Jets on Sunday will be the 37th NFL game played in London since the league’s international series began in 2007 — and the 45th game ever played away from United States soil. Roger Goodell and the league are making a conscious effort to try to grow the game of football internationally, and putting the product on display in different countries is a big part of that.

As more and more fans in London and other parts of the world are exposed to the NFL, there will be those with a decision to make on what team they want to support. The Vikings already have one of the league’s stronger fan bases in the UK, and they’d love for that to continue to grow. So why, an English journalist asked head coach Kevin O’Connell on Friday, should independent fans choose the Vikings as their team?

“You have your opportunity now to become the franchise face,” the reporter said. “Why should they support your team?”

“That’s a great question,” O’Connell said. “You guys got enough time? Well, I am certainly not the face of the franchise. We happen to have the best receiver walking the planet on our team as a great starting point. Electric, best at what he does in the world. An entertainer, loves when the lights are on, he’s always at his best.”

Using Justin Jefferson as the start of the pitch was smart from O’Connell. After all, how many players in the league — or in American sports in general — are more fun to watch than him? He fits the bill as a captivating superstar who truly can do things no one else is capable of.

“But we have a lot of guys on this team,” he continued. “We’ve talked about Sam Darnold, bringing Aaron Jones from the Green Bay Packers, who I know has played over here before and made a huge impact. He’s made a huge impact on our team, made us even more dynamic offensively. Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor. We’ve got a whole bunch of players that can show you what this game is all about every time they touch the ball.”

Exciting skill position players who can create big plays and put points on the scoreboard? Check.

“And then defensively, led by Brian Flores, it’s gonna be exciting,” O’Connell said. “You’re gonna see a lot of guys up around the line of scrimmage. Don’t know whether it’s coming or going most times, I don’t either, so fans at home and fans watching the game here, it’s exciting for a reason, because at any time things can kind of hit the hit the fan a little bit and that’s how we like to play. Organized chaos, we like to call it.”

A chaotic, aggressive defense that is difficult to figure out and leads the NFL in sacks, pressures, interceptions, and deflections through four weeks? Check.

“And then just I think in general, any team sport, really any entity of a group of people trying to accomplish a goal, I believe culture does matter,” O’Connell added. “I believe people that come together to do something greater than just for themselves, they do it for each other, I think people relate to that. I think fans of all sport, no matter what you grew up watching, loving, I think our game provides you a way of doing that, but I’d like to think our guys really take a lot of pride in what exists in that locker room. I know I do, watching them go to work every day.

“So, special group, I’m really excited for the opportunity to come play (here), and would love to have as many of those independent fans wear some purple on Sunday as possible.”

Sounds like a pretty compelling pitch to me. The Vikings’ history is one of heartbreak as much as anything else, but with Jefferson breaking records and O’Connell leading the way, there’s never been a better time to hop on the bandwagon and see where this road leads.