The 13-2 Minnesota Vikings will head into Christmas realizing they might finally declare the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed thanks largely to the play of veteran quarterback Sam Darnold.
Shortly after the Vikings earned a 27-24 victory on the Seattle Seahawks (8-7) on Sunday, Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell despatched considerably of a message to those that are doubting Darnold’s skill to win the largest video games on the largest levels.
“When folks have determined that you would be able to’t play of their personal minds, generally as an alternative of it being a product of a man deserving the credit score for taking part in actually good soccer, it’s all the time simply, ‘When’s it going to go the opposite method?’ I don’t assume that’s truthful,” O’Connell stated about Darnold whereas talking with Albert Breer of Sports activities Illustrated. “I don’t assume that’s truthful to him.”
The New York Jets initially made Darnold the third general decide of the 2018 NFL Draft, however he did not grow to be a savior for that franchise earlier than he accomplished a forgettable stint with the Carolina Panthers and earlier than he spent many of the 2023 season as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers. Whereas Darnold wasn’t certain this previous spring if he’d start the continued marketing campaign as Minnesota’s starter, O’Connell had no different selection however to go to the 27-year-old after rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in August.
In line with ESPN stats, Darnold ranks fourth within the NFL with a 105.4 passer ranking, thirteenth with a 62.0 adjusted QBR, sixth with 3,776 passing yards and fifth with 32 touchdowns by way of the air on the season. Moreover, he is proven he could make the kind of clutch performs that might end in Minnesota being a tricky out throughout the playoffs.
