Sam Darnold threw for 245 yards, one touchdown, and an interception in the Vikings’ loss to the Rams on Monday Night. The last two weeks have been Darnold’s time to prove himself to the league and he blew it. The Vikings will certainly be tasked with a tough decision this off-season.
Sam Darnold Showed He Can Play At The NFL Level With The Vikings
Going into the off-season, there will be talk about whether Sam Darnold should stick around or not. He has had a career resurgence since coming to Minnesota. The former Jets quarterback was drafted third overall coming out of USC, and he didn’t live up to the hype initially.
Darnold struggled mightily in his first year as QB of the Jets. He threw 15 interceptions in his rookie season, which is the most he has thrown in his seven years as an NFL quarterback. Adding to the misery, the following year he threw 13 more picks. However, he did throw for 3,024 yards and threw 19 touchdowns.
After leaving the Jets, Sam Darnold was signed by the Carolina Panthers. He didn’t fare much better there. In his first year as the Panthers QB, he threw more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (9). The following season he was relegated to backup QB, behind Baker Mayfield.
After the 2022 season, Carolina decided not to renew Sam Darnold’s contract and they parted ways. He ended up in San Francisco behind Brock Purdy, and barely saw much playing time. He credits the system that the 49ers had in place, for making him more understanding of the game of football and how to adapt.
Sam Darnold certainly adapted well when thrown in as the starting QB for the Vikings after JJ McCarthy’s injury. He had a magical season, easily the best of his career. He threw for 4,319 yards, 35 TD’s, and was in the MVP conversation early on in the year.
Darnold still had issues with interceptions, as he threw 12 this year. The questions arose in the last game of the season and the first of the playoffs.
The last game of the season saw the Vikings facing the Lions. This game was massive, as it would determine who would get the number one seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. The Vikings certainly seemed disinterested and had no energy. They trailed 10-6 at half but the Lions stepped on the gas in the 2nd half. Detroit ended up mauling the Vikings by a score of 31-9.
Darnold had nothing going for him in this game. He threw for only 166 yards and went 18/41 on the day. Although he didn’t turn the ball over, he also didn’t throw any touchdowns. The former Jets quarterback reverted to his old ways, with inaccurate passes, and poor decision-making.
The following week was a chance for redemption. Sam faced off against Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the wild Card round. Once again, the Vikings just looked lost. The Rams easily scored on their first drive and set the tone for this game. The Vikings couldn’t recover and trailed 24-3 at the half. That proved too big of a hill to climb for a team with a suddenly struggling QB. The Rams ended up winning 27-9 and ended the Vikings season.
J.J. McCarthy Is Waiting In The Wings
The former Michigan QB would love to win the starting job after having a season-ending injury last year. JJ didn’t even have the chance to prove what he could do. He was drafted 10th overall, the highest that Minnesota has drafted a QB in their history. The Vikings probably assumed that Darnold was just a temporary replacement, as they only signed him for a one-year contract. Sam Darnold was MVP caliber and it begs the question, does Minnesota resign him or let McCarthy take over?
McCarthy Is Their QB Of The Future
The Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round. One would think that they wouldn’t just play Darnold after one good season as McCarthy’s temporary replacement. The expectation should be that Darnold will get another shot with a different team. The Vikings need to ride their QB of the future and live with the results. Vikings fans should be excited about their new QB, as he has shown how successful he can be.
