MINNEAPOLIS — A blowout had turned into a nail-biter as the Minnesota Vikings trotted onto the field with a two-point lead and 2:18 left in the game. The Green Bay Packers had all three of their timeouts, the two-minute warning and a whole lot of momentum as a smaller-than-usual number of cheeseheads started to a “Go Pack Go” chant in the far corner of U.S. Bank Stadium.
In times like these, a coach will usually try to run the ball to force the opposing coach to use his timeouts and make it more difficult to march down the field should they get the ball back. But that is not how Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell rolls. Not when Sam Darnold keeps throwing darts in this magical renaissance season.
On the first play of the drive, Darnold faked a handoff to running back Cam Akers and rolled to his left. The right-hander hit fullback C.J. Ham in stride for a 13-yard gain. Two plays later, on second-and-11, Darnold threw a 9-yard strike to Justin Jefferson. Then he iced the game with a 6-yard floater to Akers.
“I’m just so proud of him,” O’Connell said of Darnold. “There are so many things that lead into moments like this for Sam since he became a Minnesota Viking. Just to see how he’s ultimately been able to maximize everything about his opportunity, and our football team loves him for it. I’ve had an absolute blast coaching him.”
When it was all over, when the Vikings had toppled their archrivals and sent a declarative statement to the rest of the NFC that they are legitimate threats to go all the way with a 27-25 win over the Packers, Darnold completed 33 of 43 passes for 377 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Only one question remained.
Are we sure the MVP race is over?
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Josh Allen has been tremendous in Buffalo, piling up the yards on the ground and through the air with nary a household name in his receiver corps. Two-time winner Lamar Jackson has 39 touchdown passes and only four interceptions for the Baltimore Ravens. Saquon Barkley has topped 2,000 yards for the Eagles and might break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record (albeit in a 17-game season versus the 16-gamer of Dickerson’s day).
But what if Darnold is lights out in Detroit against the Lions (13-2 heading into their game on Monday night against San Francisco) with the whole league watching next Sunday night? What if he caps a sizzling finish to the season by leading the Vikings to a win on the road against one of the best teams in the conference to clinch the No. 1 seed?
During the Vikings’ nine-game winning streak, Darnold has completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,543 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. If you narrow the focus to just the last seven games, he has completed 67 percent of his throws for 2,012 yards with 18 TDs and two picks. He hasn’t been flawless, but he has been darn close. Just like he was on Sunday against the Packers.
“Outside of these walls, nobody really believed in him,” running back Aaron Jones said. “Nobody gave him a chance. But he’s proving everybody wrong. I’m really happy for him.”
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The savvy veteran hit on perhaps the biggest reason that Darnold really might have a chance to bum-rush the MVP conversation at the 11th hour. Voters love a narrative arc with this award, and Darnold certainly has a story to sell. The former third overall pick was labeled a bust after flaming out with the Jets and Panthers. He was considered a consolation prize at best, a placeholder at worst, when the Vikings signed him to a one-year, $10 million contract in free agency. As a result, the Vikings were forecast to be languishing at the bottom of the NFC North, not in prime position for the top spot in the NFL’s toughest division with one game to go.
Equal parts precise and daring, Darnold has resurrected his career with a sterling season in Minnesota. His 4,153 yards passing are the third most in the NFL, behind only Joe Burrow and Baker Mayfield. His 35 touchdowns rank fourth. Most importantly, his Vikings — yes, they are his Vikings — are first in the NFC with 14 wins. That’s one more than Allen’s Bills and Barkley’s Eagles and three more than Jackson’s Ravens.
His fearlessness and poise were on display Sunday against the Packers. After adjusting to some unexpected looks from the Green Bay defense in the first quarter, and just missing a long touchdown when Jordan Addison couldn’t haul in a catchable pass in the first quarter, Darnold hit Jalen Nailor for a 31-yard score to get the Vikings on the board early in the second.
.@jalennailor puts us on top!#Skol
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/wF0p5IGCuq
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 29, 2024
In the third quarter, Darnold deftly climbed the pocket — as he has all season — to buy Addison some time to pull off a stop-and-go route, then threw a perfect pass for an 18-yard touchdown and a 13-3 lead.
Darnold and Addison making it look easy 😮💨 TD @Vikings!
📺: #GBvsMIN on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/T2NQ7GQV0d— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024
Through most of the rest of the game, Darnold made clutch throw after clutch throw. There was a third-and-6 pass to Nailor that intentionally spun the receiver away from ball-hawking safety Xavier McKinney so Nailor could get up the field for a 10-yard gain. Just before halftime, he threw a dart to T.J. Hockenson that zipped right between McKinney and Eric Wilson for a 28-yard gain that set up a Will Reichard field goal. He ripped another one just past a diving Wilson to Jefferson for 37 yards in the fourth quarter.
Jettas being Jettas 🔥
📺: #GBvsMIN on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Jp1FilKSWX— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024
“He’s playing QB at a very, very high level and he has been for the majority of the season,” O’Connell said. “You can tell by the locker room, you can tell by the way I call plays. I know for us to get to where we want to go, we’ve got to be aggressive and we’ve got to play football in a way that allows us to have our whole offense at our disposal.”
O’Connell is a play-calling savage by nature. He wants to go down the field. He wants to throw the ball in running situations. He wants to “attack every blade of grass,” as he likes to put it. Darnold’s arm strength, accuracy and mobility have given his head coach license to open up the playbook in any situation.
After Darnold threw the interception Sunday that everyone always seems to be waiting for with him, the one that gave the Packers a pulse and got them into the end zone for the first time to make the score 20-10 in the fourth quarter, the Vikings quarterback trotted back out onto the field with an entire stadium waiting to see how he would react.
“Didn’t blink,” Vikings left tackle Cam Robinson said. “Didn’t even flinch.”
There was not a hint of hesitation, not a glimmer of doubt in his mind as he drove the Vikings right back down the field: 7 yards, then 6 yards, then a 13-yard strike followed by a 20-yard rope. It all culminated with an easy pitch and catch to Akers for a touchdown and a 27-10 lead, just enough breathing room to withstand a desperate Packers comeback bid.
“Sam’s so resilient. There’s never any doubt,” Jones said. “He’s always confident. Even after he threw that interception, you see it didn’t rattle him.”
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There are reasons Darnold may be passed over for the league’s highest individual honor. He may lose votes because O’Connell is viewed as one of the brightest offensive minds in football and because he has a plethora of weapons at his disposal in the Vikings offense. Allen has to do more with less in Buffalo. Barkley is a novelty as a running back that has become the central component of the Eagles offense in an era dominated by the pass. Jackson’s gaudy passing stats combined with his dynamic ground game demand consideration.
MVP or no MVP, there is no diminishing this dream season for Darnold. After the game, Darnold had to pinch himself when the legend of all quarterbacking legends, Tom Brady, named Darnold his LFG Player of the Game on the Fox broadcast. It wasn’t long ago that he was hanging on to a starting spot in this league by his fingernails, just hoping to beat out rookie J.J. McCarthy for a one-season stint in Minnesota. Now, the Vikings have united behind him as they vault into Super Bowl contention, and his future has never been brighter.
“To be able to talk to the best to ever do it, it’s always special whenever you get to have him call your game,” Darnold said. “I don’t take stuff like that for granted, ever. It’s a special moment to be able to share it with those people. My teammates, every single person in the organization, I’m just happy to be here.”
After his conversation with Brady, Darnold retreated to the Vikings locker room. He was the last one to arrive, which meant that the entire team was there to greet its leader. The players showered him with water and hoisted him on their shoulders, a triumphant moment for a group that sees Darnold as the symbol of who they are as a team.
KO watching the culture he’s built 🥺 pic.twitter.com/KreKw1MCkv
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 30, 2024
Four months ago, these Vikings were overlooked, discounted and dismissed. Sam Darnold’s out-of-nowhere season has thrust them into the spotlight. With him at the controls, these Vikings believe anything is possible. And what is more valuable than that?
(Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty Images)
