NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
MINNEAPOLIS — Poll a handful of Minnesota Vikings fans this summer, and you would have gotten a handful of different answers to this simple but all-important question: Which quarterback should be leading the team this fall? Some would’ve cheerily advocated for J.J. McCarthy, the suave first-round rookie whose NFL debut was ultimately postponed indefinitely due to a preseason injury. Others would’ve lamented the exit of Kirk Cousins, who’d at least been a steady hand for more than a half-decade prior. Few would’ve said Sam Darnold with strong conviction.
Even the most optimistic Vikings fans, see, had little trouble treading lightly with Darnold hype going into the season. Signed to a very modest one-year contract, on his fourth team in five years, fresh off a 2023 campaign spent almost exclusively on the sidelines, the former New York Jets prospect and journeyman castoff was always set to benefit from arguably the best supporting cast of his NFL career. He was always primed for career marks working under coach Kevin O’Connell, the definition of quarterback-friendly in both offensive design and affable attitude. Yet no one really, deep down, would’ve been stunned if the “real Darnold” finally showed up, hurling balls into traffic.
To be clear, three weeks into the 2024 NFL season, there’s still time for that. The Vikings (3-0 after Sunday’s rout of the Houston Texans) know as well as anyone that a hot start or sterling record can fizzle into nothing, as it did in the playoffs following O’Connell’s otherwise magical debut coaching the 13-4 squad of 2022. And Darnold has flashed first-round arm sizzle before, only to slip into turnover- or injury-riddled slumps that wore out his welcome in both East Rutherford and Charlotte, North Carolina, recent treasure trove of failed reclamation projects.
The Vikings have arguably also never enjoyed a more promising three-game stretch of quarterback play…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/overlooked-as-vikings-placeholder-sam-darnold-is-delivering-elite-qb-play-to-lead-minnesotas-3-0-start/
Author : Cody Benjamin
Publish date : 2024-09-22 22:45:12
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
