Subscribe
Follow Us
Sam Darnold had one of this best days as a pro on Sunday, leading the Minnesota Vikings to a dominant 34-7 victory over the Houston Texans with a four touchdown masterpiece. Darnold is playing some of the best football of his career, and has the Vikings off to a 3-0 start to the season.
However, Sunday wasn't without any downsides. Darnold briefly left the game with a knee injury after taking a low hit on a sack from Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter. The Vikings' signal caller left the game, went into the medical tent for one play, and then returned to a standing ovation from the Minnesota crowd.
Darnold finished the game, but is still going to get an MRI on that injured knee on Monday, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“‘It’s good, and that’s as much as I’m gonna say about that,' Darnold told PFT by phone after Sunday’s 34-7 win over the Texans, regarding his knee,” Florio wrote on Sunday night.
Any serious injury to Darnold would be a crushing blow for a Vikings team that is rolling through the schedule right now and brimming with confidence after knocking off two likely playoff contenders in the Texans and the San Francisco 49ers. Now, they await the results of Darnold's MRI before moving forward.
The Vikings are contenders in the NFC with a healthy Sam Darnold
The Vikings have been one of the most impressive teams during this young season, dismantling all comers so far in 2024. They were only really challenged by the 49ers, who made a late push to get back into the game, but they never seized control from Minnesota.
The Vikings are now one of two teams in the NFC that are off to a 3-0 start, along with the Seattle Seahawks, and the formula that they have built is the kind of blend that can work deep into December and January.
The Vikings are very balanced on both sides of the ball. They play complementary football on the offensive side, leaning on Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler in the running game, which has been surprisingly effective so far. They aren't grinding teams down to a halt, but they're in the top half of the league in both rushing yards per game and yards per attempt, and Jones is currently the 5th highest graded running back in the NFL, per PFF.
Darnold has been effective in the passing game, protecting the football (for the most part) and keeping the offense on schedule. However, the former No. 3 overall pick separates himself from other “game manager” quarterbacks in QB-friendly systems like Kevin O'Connell's with his arm talent. Darnold isn't required to break it out often, but every once in a while he'll let one rip and create some yards that other quarterbacks may not be able to get.
On the other side of the ball, Brian Flores' defense is eating people alive. They shredded the Kyle Shanahan machine in Week 2 and baffled C.J. Stroud in Week 3 with their array of exotic defenses. With the offense playing such efficient, balanced football, and the defense dominating every unit that they see, the Vikings need to be taken seriously as a threat to win the NFC.
