Sam Darnold Put up Career-Best Numbers against Green Bay
This season, the Minnesota Vikings have the best version of Sam Darnold we have ever seen. The year has gone exceptionally well because head coach Kevin O’Connell has been able to develop and empower his signal-caller. However, what he did on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers was unprecedented.
Sam Darnold Put up Career-Best Numbers against Green Bay
Darnold entered Lambeau Field for his first rivalry game with Minnesota and knocked off the Packers. This test would be tougher given that Jordan Love was healthy and Green Bay was hungry for revenge. That didn’t stop Minnesota from generating a big lead and putting the game largely out of reach.
Sam Darnold threw the ball 43 times on Sunday. He completed 33 of those passes for 377 yards. That passing tally is the greatest yardage of his career, and he cleared the benchmark he set earlier this year against the Atlanta Falcons by 30 yards.
This wasn’t a five-touchdown performance like the Falcons game, and he did throw an interception, but it was another notch in the belt of a year that has been nothing short of incredible. Darnold doing all of this on just a $10 million deal is going to earn him a raise of sizable proportions. It has caused the Vikings to consider their future options at least, and it has gained favor for Darnold throughout the league.
How Darnold was able to execute and lead on Sunday is now something that has become commonplace. He wasn’t allowed to be this person or quarterback in New York or Carolina. He is empowered to be exactly this person here in Minnesota.
When the dust settles next week, regardless of the result, Darnold will have numbers that make the rest of his career laughable. He has thrown for 16 touchdowns more than he has ever produced in a single season. He has over 1,000 yards more than his best previous passing tally. He has done all this while throwing just 12 interceptions and stopping an issue that popped up earlier this season.
It’s truly insane how good Darnold has been. It’s shocking how quickly he has taken to his new environment. It’s impressive how much that environment has helped to foster the belief of the former third-overall pick.
Career best season and all, the best may be yet to come for Darnold in Minnesota.
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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