The plan was obvious for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason: Sign an experienced veteran to a fairly economical one-year deal in free agency, and pick their quarterback of the future in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Sam Darnold was their placeholder of choice, and after trading up one spot back in April, J.J. McCarthy became the succession plan.
By all accounts, McCarthy was impressive throughout offseason workouts and training camp, leading many to believe he might force his way onto the field sooner than expected, perhaps even challenging to be the Week 1 stater as a rookie.
But a knee injury that required season-ending surgery put McCarthy back in the “long-term” spot on the shelf, making Darnold the clear-cut plan for the present.
While many Vikings fans may have already been mailing their hopes of contention to 2025 and beyond at that point, Darnold and the current roster clearly had other plans.
Minnesota opened the regular season with a dominant road win over the New York Giants, but that was easily credited to a lesser opponent more than the possibility that the Vikings might actually be one of the better teams in the league this season.
Then came a 23-17 win in their home opener over the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, giving the Vikings an impressive 2-0 start.
Sunday’s performance took things to a whole different level, as the Vikings destroyed one of the hottest and most promising teams in the league, the Houston Texans, in a 34-7 blowout. Second-year stud quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled, while Darnold tossed four touchdown passes, each to a different receiver.
"He has been lit up since he's been in the league. He's had everything said about him… And now, he's leading his 3-0 team and playing some great football."@nateburleson had high praise for Sam Darnold ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/DGzK74w7L4
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 22, 2024
Sam Darnold with 4 passing TDs in Week 3. Is he an early MVP candidate?
(by @FedEx) pic.twitter.com/bTbNF22yNf
— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Through three games, Darnold leads the league with eight touchdown passes (barring the results of Monday night’s double-header), completing 68 percent of his passes with a QB rating of 117.3, and currently ranks fourth among full-time starters with an average of 8.4 yards per attempt.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Darnold was shipped off by the New York Jets before he finished his rookie contract, spent two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, and last year with the 49ers (making that Week 2 win all the sweeter). Talent was clearly never the issue for the former USC star, and now that he’s got a strong supporting cast (both players and coaches), we’re seeing the best version of Darnold he’s ever been at the pro level.
Obviously, the Vikings still have high expectations for McCarthy down the road, but Darnold’s play over the first three weeks of the season means they shouldn’t have to sacrifice short-term success for long-term stability at the game’s most important position, and should ensure that they can be as patient as necessary with McCarthy’s development.
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