If the Minnesota Vikings go 3-2 with Sam Darnold to shut out the common season, the quarterback can have gained as many video games in his first season with the Vikings as he did in all three years with the New York Jets. Darnold is fourth within the NFL in landing passes (23), seventh in passer score (102.5), and he has 9 video games this season with no less than two landing passes, tied with Joe Burrow for essentially the most within the NFL.
There’s nothing Darnold may do to silence each skeptic; those who bear in mind how he regressed with the Jets, flopped with the Panthers, and sought backup work with the San Francisco 49ers. Not even Minnesota is tied to Darnold past this season. With J.J. McCarthy sitting of their again pocket as a less expensive choice in 2025, the Vikings will probably be compelled to disclose in the event that they agree with the skeptics or the believers.
However Darnold delivered within the second half of Minnesota’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, and if he retains doing that the Vikings might be compelled right into a scenario the place they will’t say no…To Sam Darnold.
Essentially the most-pressured QB of Week 13
What’s most shocking about Darnold’s newest efficiency, going 21-of-31 for 235 yards and two touchdowns in opposition to the Cardinals, is that in accordance with Subsequent Gen Stats he was the most-pressured QB of Week 13 with a Stress Price of 53.8%
Darnold was the one QB to be pressured on greater than half of his dropbacks final week and he was pressured 21 instances by Arizona’s protection, getting sacked 5 instances.
He nonetheless completed with a 111.6 passer score, +4.6% completion share over anticipated, and 67.7% completions, all top-10 marks in Week 13. With Aaron Jones fumbling on the primary play of Minnesota’s second drive, the Vikings couldn’t get something going within the first half and ended up trailing 19-6 late within the third quarter so it’s not hyperbole to say that the staff was totally leaning on Sam Darnold to guide them again in opposition to a staff that had been in first place and that’s what he did:
Darnold answered the Cardinals’ final landing by going 5-of-5 with a landing on the following drive and he led the game-winning drive by going 5-of-8 with the go-ahead landing cross.
You might see Sam Darnold’s pleasure once I requested him concerning the strain of main sport successful drives the final two video games.
“The child in me, it is enjoyable man, to have the ability to go and lead the offense to a sport successful drive man, these are the alternatives you dream of.”@kare11 pic.twitter.com/GXouIiruOb
— Reggie Wilson (@ReggieWilsonTV) December 4, 2024
May there be different “Sam Darnold stage” quarterbacks on the market who’re backups on their staff and if they had gotten the Vikings job as an alternative of Darnold, they would lastly be having their breakout second?
Perhaps.
However all Darnold can management is that he acquired the job, not them, and he has put himself in place to be paid like a starter after the season.
Sam Darnold is about to money in on his 2024 play
It was some time in the past, however the Denver Broncos gave Case Keenum a two-year, $36 million contract in 2018 after his season with the Vikings. Darnold will get much more than that and his benchmark might be nearer to Kirk Cousins than Keenum. Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons, together with $90 million assured.
To what diploma will Keenum and Cousins function cautionary tales that mood the market on Darnold as a 2025 free agent? Cousins by no means performed higher than he did when he had Justin Jefferson as a primary receiver. Now he’s main the NFL in interceptions.
Good morning to everybody besides Kirk Cousins and everybody who thought the #Vikings ought to’ve re-signed him, and mocked the Sam Darnold signing.
You already know who you’re. We’ve got receipts. #Skol
— Ted Glover (@purplebuckeye) December 2, 2024
If Darnold can substitute Cousins when there beforehand appeared to be an enormous hole in worth between the 2 quarterbacks, then who’s to say that McCarthy can’t do the identical to exchange Darnold?
And if Sam Darnold can’t take the Vikings coaches, offensive line, and Justin Jefferson with him to the subsequent staff, who’s to say that he gained’t return to being the Darnold that we used to know?
However simply the truth that we’re having this dialog signifies that Darnold has already gained. After just a few years in backup purgatory, Darnold is on the verge of cashing in. Not simply due to improved stats, however due to closing out video games like he did on Sunday.
