Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) and Nick Mullens (12) run on the field before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. © Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
If you thought the Minnesota Vikings might explore a non-Sam-Darnold option at quarterback after Darnold’s lousy Week 10 showing, head coach Kevin O’Connell is here to tell you, “No.”
Darnold dimed 3 interceptions to no touchdowns on Sunday while his team held on for a narrow 12-7 victory at the Jacksonville Jaguars, courtesy of 4 field goals from new kicker Parker Romo and a stifling Brian Flores defense.
After Darnold’s third pick of the game, social media erupted, calling for Darnold to hit the sidelines in favor of QB2 Nick Mullens — who is even more famous for throwing interceptions than Darnold. Others, like Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio, suggested that Minnesota sign free-agent passer Ryan Tannehill and let it ride.
Well, O’Connell — eternally the optimist, in general, and believer in Darnold — totally snuffed out any quarterback controversy in its tracks. The Vikings will not make a change at quarterback, and in fact, are emboldened to rally behind Darnold.
Reporters asked O’Connell if he had a moment when he considered tossing Mullens into action, and he replied, “Not one. Not one all day long. In fact, I was looking at it as a great opportunity to see growth and continue to move the team. We’re going to check back on this moment and use it the right way, and Sam is going to be better off for it. I truly do believe that.”
Darnold ranks 11th among all qualifying quarterbacks per EPA+CPOE, an efficiency metric measuring expected wins added. He’s sandwiched between Patrick Mahomes (No. 10) and Kirk Cousins (No. 12).
O’Connell added, “We’re still 100% confident in Sam. It would be craziness not to be.”
Darnold, too, acknowledged his subpar outing and vowed to improve. “I’ve got to do a lot better job taking care of the football. I think that’s obvious. Just being situationally aware of where we are at on the field, first and second down, just being able to put the ball in play and let our guys go run with it. I thought I should have done a lot better job of that today, but we’ll just look at the tape and learn from it that way,” he said late Sunday.
The veteran passer has, indeed, hit a rough patch, not quite effectuating his September performance, which was otherworldly by his standards and those of any quarterback.
It’s also worth noting that Darnold’s NFC North counterpart, Jared Goff, tossed 5 interceptions on Sunday Night Football in a Lions win, and not a soul asked Lions skipper Dan Campbell if Goff would hit the bench.
Darnold will get a chance — probably many — to fix his Week 10 sins. There is no Vikings quarterback controversy.
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.