Sam Darnold Doubled Down against Falcons
It was obviously a coincidence in the schedule that the Minnesota Vikings played a pair of birds in back-to-back weeks. Maybe quarterback Sam Darnold just has a thing for them, though. After putting together one of the best games of his career against the Cardinals, he doubled down on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
Sam Darnold Doubled Down against Falcons
The game was supposed to be about the return of Kirk Cousins. Of course, that comes with the caveat that Sam Darnold has taken over. Thus far this season, Darnold has continued to make the Vikings look like geniuses with a higher production level than his predecessor. Going toe to toe with him on Sunday, it became laughable.
Cousins did plenty on his own to look terrible. Not only did he complete just 23-of-37 passes, but he threw a pair of interceptions that could have included a third realistically. He didn’t throw a touchdown path, and the ugly taste from his four-interception game a week prior was not removed from the mouths of Falcons fans.
Then there was Darnold. Literal perfection (almost). The Vikings signal-caller went 22-of-28 for 347 yards. He threw for five touchdown passes, and his top two wide receivers embarrassed the opposing defense. The former first-round pick looked every bit the guy who will get at least $30 million per year on the open market this offseason.
The Vikings seemed likely to be an ideal landing spot for Darnold. He was entering a good situation from a leadership perspective, and Kevin O’Connell had already established himself as a strong coach. Add in playmakers like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones, only to create the proverbial icing on the cake.
It could have been expected that Darnold would play better than he has over the course of his career thus far. It’s a relative shock that the level he is playing at is truly MVP caliber. The hope would be that Darnold could continue this, but then again, he has shown plenty of proof as the season has gone on.
There was probably never a reality where Cousins was to be welcomed with open arms. After all, as he has always done, the veteran chased the money. Darnold making the game about him, though, and cruising to a big day and an easy win made it that much sweeter.
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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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