Former Vikings LB Ignites MVP Chatter for You Know Who
Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ben Leber has seen enough — it’s time to plop quarterback Sam Darnold’s name back in the MVP race.
Former Vikings LB Ignites MVP Chatter for You Know Who
Darnold, 27, is on pace for 4,300 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 2024, fresh off his team’s resounding 42-21 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, a club led by Kirk Cousins, who quarterbacked the Vikings for six seasons.
Leber tweeted Sunday, “Sam Darnold is leading an 11-2 team with an average passer rating of 107.3. Time to put Sam in the MVP convo.”
This is the NFL’s state of play for the league MVP award
- Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) — -400
- Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles) — +450
- Jared Goff (Detroit Lions) — +1000
- Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) — +1000
- Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) — +4000
- Sam Darnold (Minnesota Vikings) — +5000
- Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders) — +6500
- Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles) — +6500
Sixth in the NFL’s pecking order, Darnold is not expected to catch Allen from behind because, well, nobody will. MVP voters, it seems, have waited for years to vote for Allen in the MVP race, and they are, alas, getting their wish in 2024. Allen absolutely deserves the MVP trophy.
Darnold’s performance, however, is incredibly impressive. He’s reclaimed his career after being left for dead by the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, two franchises that are the butt of jokes per quarterback development.
And on Sunday — the event that prompted Leber’s tweet — Darnold concocted 5 touchdown passes to zero turnovers in the 21-point win over Atlanta. His stat line shined after Cousins tabulated no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. It was Darnold’s moment in Week 14, further proof that Minnesota made the right decision to cut ties with Cousins in favor of Darnold and his rookie teammate, J.J. McCarthy.
Darnold said after the dub, “I was just excited, man. I feel like I couldn’t just sit there just kind of stoic and just straight-faced. I feel like I had to show a little bit of emotion for the fans and give them what they wanted.”
The 27-year-old riled up the crowd amid — you guessed it — MVP chants from purple fans. He waved a towel and the whole bit.
“I just felt the buzz. And that was pure passion, pure joy,” Darnold added.
His club next hosts the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football and is favored to win by a touchdown. Another 5-touchdown performance could catapult Darnold into third place or so on the MVP odds list.
Minnesota hadn’t experienced a quarterback with 5 touchdown passes in a game since 2004 before Sunday.
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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 MIN 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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