Can Sam Darnold Back It Up for Minnesota?
Sam Darnold was brought in to be a bridge quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Given the weapons around him and the coaching staff in place, there was always hope he would be able to contribute at a higher level. So far, that has proven to bear fruit, and it hasn’t been any better than it was on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Can Sam Darnold Back It Up for Minnesota?
Facing a divisional opponent on the road, Darnold popped off for 330 yards passing on 34 attempts. He completed 22 of his passes and found the end zone twice. He made multiple strong throws to Jordan Addison and often found T.J. Hockenson for chunk yardage. With the Bears focused on taking away Justin Jefferson, the quarterback was able to give everyone else an opportunity to feast.
Darnold has performed at or above expectations thus far this season, but nothing has been better than how he looked at Soldier Field. Now the question becomes whether he can maintain that momentum as Minnesota returns home to face the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona’s defense is relatively neutral against the run and pass. It is not the same strong secondary that Chicago boasted, but as was highlighted, that didn’t much matter last weekend. Minnesota is favored heading into the contest, and it stands to come out on top if Darnold can replicate the performance.
It will be interesting to see how Arizona attacks Jefferson. The Bears’ attempt to remove Jefferson entirely wasn’t a winning strategy. Minnesota simply has too many strong pass-catching options, and that will always stretch an opposing defense thin. Darnold has to make the right reads and remain within himself, but there should be consistent opportunities to execute.
The Vikings have played a week-by-week style this year, and Darnold hasn’t necessarily progressed as the season has gone on. If he can stack impressive performances, it would be a great result to reflect additional confidence as the Vikings look towards the playoffs.
Seeking a payday this offseason, the more Darnold can establish that level of play, the better.
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Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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