Vikings QB Fetches Otherworldly Ranking
Sam Darnold is the NFL’s third-best quarterback through three weeks of the 2024 season, says ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky.
Vikings QB Fetches Otherworldly Ranking
Orlovsky has spoken highly of Darnold throughout 2024, and Darnold’s recent success confirms his theory.
Darnold checked in behind Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers on Orlovsky’s “A-List” of passers, a list curiously missing Patrick Mahomes in the Top 5. Kyler Murray and Geno Smith placed behind Darnold at No. 3.
“Don’t play man coverage vs. him. If you play man coverage vs. Sam Darnold, he’s gonna score 30-plus on you. His connection with Justin Jefferson … he’s doing it without Addison, he’s doing it without Hockenson,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s First Take this week. “Kevin O’Connell, arguably coach of the year right now with Matt LaFleur, making things super good for Sam Darnold.”
Darnold, who has taken the NFL by storm with his reclamation season, leads the NFL in touchdown passes and ranks seventh per quarterback EPA+CPOE. His team is undefeated atop the NFC North, and all facets of Vikings football are flourishing.
Orlovsky was high on Darnold soon after Minnesota’s Week 1 triumph over the New York Giants, too, suggesting the veteran passer had fixed his footwork.
“I think he’s done a remarkable job, at least in week one, of marrying his feet to the pass concept, and that’s a lost art right now in the NFL. I remember, in Carolina, Sam was bad at this, and he’s really showing great growth,” Orlovsky said two weeks ago.
Vikings fans now hope for sustainability for Darnold, as he and the Carolina Panthers started the 2021 season 3-0 before faceplanting to the tune of a 5-12 finish three years ago.
Orlovsky added after Darnold’s Week 1 performance, “Sam really struggled with this early on. He really struggled with this in Carolina. I remember doing a breakdown of Sam being ready to throw, cause 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, hitch… and the receivers weren’t even close to breaking on the routes. I think it’s a lost art in much of the NFL right now, and he has really grown when it comes to ‘ok, my drop has to have this type of pace with this type of feel, and I have to be ready to throw at this moment, marrying it with those routes… that’s why you see some of his talent start to shine.”
Minnesota is a 2.5-point underdog this weekend at the Green Bay Packers.
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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