Murphy: The guy? Darnold keeps playing like it
Brian Murphy writes about Sam Darnold's latest shining performance
By Brian Murphy
Twelve games into the Sam Darnold Experiment, the only thing more shocking than this forsaken gunslinger resuscitating his toe-tagged career in Minnesota is watching him mature into the franchise quarterback the Vikings never knew they had.
We have rocketed past Darnold’s qualified tenure as a lame-duck placeholder for J.J. McCarthy into the rarified air of how this 27-year-old has masterfully emerged as a more viable long-term solution.
Everything depends on Darnold’s postseason performance, free-agent economics and the thorny politics of indefinitely shelving the 10th overall pick in a bridesmaid dress. However, after fronting a shadow campaign, Darnold’s cold-blooded play and quiet confidence have galvanized the locker room and yanked into the open a debate about which quarterback should lead the Vikings in 2025 and beyond.
None of this was in play when the Vikings entered the NFL Draft with a mandate to select a franchise alpha among a who’s who of quarterback prospects while Darnold battled for relevancy on a one-year deal.
Positioning Darnold to help Minnesota contend while shepherding the 21-year-old McCarthy into the ravenous maw of pro football was a convenient storyline, but conditions and fortunes can change on a dime in this unforgiving league.
Lean into the possible that Darnold is actually the man instead of dreading the what-ifs that the Vikings drafted the wrong guy. Bend the narrative to fit what is unfolding right before our thoroughly entertained eyes.
All Darnold does is dig deep to make clutch throws and chisel hard-earned wins out of games the Vikings try so hard to lose.
Last week it was rallying his crestfallen team after blowing an 11-point lead to Chicago in the waning minutes and responding 6-for-6 for 90 yards in overtime to set up the winning field goal.
Sunday against the much more dangerous Arizona Cardinals Darnold spearheaded an eight-play, 70-yard drive that included five completions. His 5-yard pass to Aaron Jones with 1:13 remaining culminated the Vikings’ rally from a 13-point deficit for a 23-22 victory.
Darnold’s second touchdown pass of the second half capped a fourth-quarter revival in which he passed for 104 of his 235 yards against the blitz-happy Cardinals, who sacked him five times and short-circuited Minnesota’s offense for almost three quarters.
The Vikings’ fifth straight win improved their record to 10-2 and kept them within a game of surging Detroit in the rugged NFC North, showing again how you can never count out Darnold or this resilient team.
“Sam has been absolutely huge for us in these moments where everybody needs him,” said coach Kevin O’Connell. “My confidence level in him is sky high to play the game however we need to play it.”
Nobody needed Darnold more than Jones, the supremely skilled and popular running back who has been washing his hands in lard for the last month. Jones fumbled on the initial play of Minnesota’s first two drives after coughing one up at the Bears 1-yard line last week and dropping a pitch two weeks ago at Tennessee.
O’Connell benched him for a couple of possessions Sunday but insisted he never lost trust in Jones, who was apoplectic about his gaffes on the sideline and grateful for the redemption.
“It was a roller coaster, but thankful for these guys, who kept telling me to keep my head up,” said Jones. “They never lose confidence in me. They never falter. I can’t make excuses. That’s not me. But I’ve got to be better. We’ll figure it out.”
Complimentary football has defined the 2024 Vikings, and Week 13 was no different, as they received big-time contributions from a diverse band of playmakers on both sides of the ball.
The defense intercepted Kyler Murray twice in the fourth quarter and swarmed the Arizona quarterback on the Cardinals’ final drive, which only produced a field goal to keep the Vikings within striking distance.
They even found a way to re-integrate Justin Jefferson into the passing attack, although it was a slow burn. Jefferson had seven receptions for 99 yards, including a pivotal catch on fourth-and-6 from the Arizona 34 that extended the winning drive.
The Vikings have now won 12 straight home games against the Cardinals, who haven’t won in Minnesota since 1977, when the team was still playing in St. Louis and Jimmy Carter was still measuring the drapes after arriving in the White House.
Recent history showed the Vikings feasting on inferior opponents and quarterbacks like Mac Jones in Jacksonville and Will Levis of Tennessee. Their anticipated return to U.S. Bank Stadium after three ugly road wins featured Murray, a multidimensional threat who can chop any defense down to size with his arm and legs.
Once again defensive coordinator Brian Flores found a way to scheme his way out of trouble and rise up when it matters most in the fourth quarter. Minnesota’s 18 interceptions lead the NFL and are its most through 12 games in almost 20 years.
All of which opened the door for Darnold to script his third game-winning drive, polish his resume and sharpen his closing argument for staying in Minnesota beyond January.
“Dude, I’m just going to continue to do my job every single day, and I’m just going to keep it that simple,” said Darnold when asked whether he has learned anything about himself.
Well, we’ve learned plenty. Like appreciating the battle-scarred reclamation who is stacking wins instead of nitpicking the results and waiting for the unknown, recovering rookie to go out and prove it.