The Biggest Development from Vikings’ Win over CHI
The Minnesota Vikings asked Sam Darnold to produce the biggest offensive drive of his life on Sunday. And he delivered.
The Biggest Development from Vikings’ Win over CHI
On an afternoon when everything had trended horribly rotten within 20 minutes of real time, Minnesota asked Darnold to lead a game-winning drive on the road at Soldier Field, a notorious house of horrors for virtually every Vikings team of yesteryear.
And Darnold said, “Sure. I can do that.”
Minnesota’s defense prevented the Bears’ budding momentum in overtime, handing the rock back to the offense, and Darnold took care of the rest. He delivered dimes to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson — Minnesota’s Big Three — and set kicker Parker Romo up for a game-clinching field goal. Minnesota defeated its secondary rival in overtime, 30-27.
Unlike kickers of Vikings past, Romo did not shank the 29-yard field goal, and Minnesota survived and advanced over the scrappy Bears. But none of that would’ve been possible without Darnold’s heroism.
Why was Darnold’s late-game performance so vital, so telling? Simple — nobody knows (or knew) for sure if Darnold has the clutch gene in his cellular makeup. The man has never started a game in the postseason, nor has he ever really come close outside of a QB2 assignment with the San Francisco 49ers last year.
For the most part, Vikings fans have watched Darnold through 12 weeks, hoping his regular season production would remain afloat. Thinking about Darnold, game-winning drives, and the postseason were future problems. Many merely didn’t want the fancy 5-0 start of 2024 to mirror 2016 when the bottom fell out.
Now, however, after witnessing Darnold’s cold-blooded demeanor in Chicago, there’s a reasonable expectation that he can mimic such plays in January — the environment hostile, the stakes pretty damn high after his team nearly blew a 24-10 lead.
Darnold said after the dub in Chicago, “I was just going out there executing, taking it one play at a time. I really do think it’s as simple as that. And just not trying to do too much.”
“If I feel like, you know, a play I’ve got to scramble out of the pocket or something and it’s not there, just throw it away. Or sometimes if I need to take a sack, I’m willing to do that. But yeah, just continue to play within the system, within the game – and we’ll continue to play solid as an offense.”
Darnold isn’t guaranteed to lead Minnesota toward The Promised Land, but in Chicago, he proved the Vikings will have a puncher’s chance in the playoffs. After all, they only need one more win to confidently stamp their ticket toward the postseason.
The veteran passer can be clutch for all the marbles, and before Sunday, folks didn’t know if that was part of his dance.
It is.
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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