Sam Darnold’s Mind-Bending Performance by the Numbers
If Sam Darnold were an established NFL quarterback, perhaps nibbling at Top 15 or so placement in the league’s pecking order, Week 1 would be classified as a Darn good performance.
Sam Darnold’s Mind-Bending Performance by the Numbers
But because Darnold has never consistently caught on as a long-term starter despite being drafted with the third overall pick in 2018, his play on Sunday in a win over the New York Giants absolutely stood off the page.
Darnold’s outing at MetLife Stadium, where he’s now started 21 career games, checked in at the tops of the charts per a couple of trustworthy metrics. The guy played brilliantly, and there’s just no other way around it.
Foremost, his EPA-CPOE, an efficiency stat measuring quarterbacks’ wins added, led all passers heading into Monday Night Football, when the San Francisco 49ers host the New York Jets.
A Mahomesian level of Week 1 production, Vikings fans will cross their fingers as the purple team encounters a murderer’s row of opponents before the start of November, including games against the 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, Jets, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Rams. It won’t be easy, and Darnold will receive a more daunting test than the Giants offered.
After EPA+CPOE majesty, Darnold led all NFL quarterbacks per Pro Football Focus grade, an unforeseen outcome because Darnold is more known for struggles than effectiveness. He banked an 88.0 PFF grade for his Week 1 troubles, an outstanding mark for, well, anybody.
Darnold also ranked seventh per ESPN’s QBR metric, a spot ahead of Texans’ signal-caller C.J. Stroud.
If one is more accustomed to volume statistics, Darnold logged 208 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and one interception. And the pick resulted from a Dexter Lawrence disruption, batting Darnold’s arm and causing the turnover.
On Monday, ESPN summarized Darnold’s Week 1 play and questioned whether the progress will continue.
“In his first Week 1 start in three years, Darnold produced one of his best NFL games, completing 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Before his arm was hit on a fourth-quarter pass, causing an interception, he had a passer rating of 142 — which would have been a career high,” Kevin Seifert wrote. “No conclusions should be drawn off one start, but Darnold did everything the Vikings could have hoped for, most notably throwing a pinpoint 44-yard pass to receiver Justin Jefferson and keeping his cool against an active Giants pass rush. It was the kind of game that should remind everyone why Darnold was the No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft.”
That’s the big question Vikings fans will ponder for the next few weeks — is this sustainable?
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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