In the modern era of sports, the average football fan is more informed, analytical, and knowledgeable than ever before. We’ve got a stat and an acronym for every single data point you could possibly imagine and nearly limitless access to this information. Consider trying to explain to your grandpa the math behind quarterback rating or what the hell EPA per play means. We’re living in an era with the most scientific approach to sports in human history.
And yet, despite all the unbiased data and cold hard analysis, sometimes sports comes down to a simple measuring stick: What’s the story? What is the narrative? What are the vibes?
For the entire Kirk Cousins Vikings era, the narrative was simple. Yes, Kirk Cousins is a good player, capable of a hot streak and leading a team to a quality season — just don’t get your hopes up. No matter how well he’s been playing, he’s going to absolutely crater in prime time, especially on Monday Night Football.
The Cousins crash felt inevitable, especially any time a prime-time matchup was looming on the horizon. No matter how much you tried to stack up evidence to the contrary, when the letdown came, you felt like a fool for convincing yourself otherwise. We all remember what it felt like to watch Cousins spiral in the national spotlight, with the whole country making jokes at his expense on social media. Kirk’s actual prime-time record in Minnesota was only 7-9, but the stink of those nine losses permeated through his entire tenure.
Enough about Cousins. The season is about moving on from Kirk. And this past weekend, with the Vikings welcoming their ex into their home again for the first time since the breakup, it sure was nice to have our new boo absolutely shred the Atlanta Falcons. Every Cousins hater got to leave US Bank Stadium with a euphoric feeling of vindication.
In many ways, the Sam Darnold experience this season has been the perfect palate cleanser. Darnold has been the old cliché about dating the opposite after a breakup. He holds on to the ball and scrambles around in the pocket looking for the big play, and it’s produced his best (and worst) plays this season. His fearlessness to take opportunities to punish a defense, even if it means going out of the intended play progression, has been a stark contrast to what Vikings fans were used to.
While Cousins methodically played within the system, Darnold chucks it deep to the alert on clear-out routes because he saw a safety drop that was a step slow. Has it meant some boneheaded interceptions and bozo moments? Sure. But it also meant 97-yard bombs against the San Francisco 49ers or a high-flying aerial assault against Atlanta’s aggressive single-high safety looks this past Sunday.
Even if the experience is a bit volatile, Darnold has proven he has the staying power to be a quality quarterback for Minnesota this season. He bounced back from a midseason slump and found new ways to elevate his game heading into the home stretch. Over the past few weeks, he has also played some of his best football of the season against the Chicago Bears and Atlanta.
However, if he were Kirk Cousins, this upcoming game would terrify me. This is a divisional matchup on Monday Night Football, with a chance to keep pace with the Detroit Lions in the hyper-competitive NFC North. It would have all the makings of a prime-time Cousins let-down.
Darnold’s expectations have become so sky-high that this week’s discourse has been about whether he’s given enough MVP consideration and whether the Vikings should scrap their long-term quarterback plans to give him the franchise tag this offseason.
This season has been a narrative roller coaster for Darnold as the football world struggles to comprehend this new reality: He is actually very good at football. He’s gone from being a bridge starter the fanbase couldn’t wait to bench in the preseason to a legitimate MVP candidate in the first four weeks to a bum whom the Vikings should bench for Nick Mullens after the Jacksonville game. Now he’s back to being a fringe MVP candidate and the subject of a long-term quarterback controversy.
It’s been a wild ride, but I can’t help but feel like we’ve ridden this roller coaster before. The Kirk Cousins experience may have looked and felt like a completely different trip while we were on it. However, take a step back, and the construction feels all too familiar.
We know the next twist Cousins would take us on this Monday: a death spiral straight down back to earth.
Darnold has another opportunity to differentiate himself from Cousins. Not only can he continue to differentiate himself stylistically, but coming out with a strong Monday night performance would be a complete vibe shift. Do that, and consider my palette cleansed. It would completely wash out the taste in my mouth from the previous era, and I’ll be much more mentally ready for whatever the closing chapter of this season has in store for us.
The Bears gave Minnesota a scare a few weeks ago. Even as they’ve circled the drain, they have shown some fight along the way. They’ve found new and incredible ways to fritter away any progress with dumbfounding ways to mismanage end-of-game situations. Still, they’ve also shown the talent to give themselves opportunities to squander.
Sam Darnold proved that he had no problems dissecting this Bears defense the first time around. If he does so again on Monday night, with the whole country watching, it may not shift the national narrative about him and this Vikings squad. However, it will do a lot in the hearts and minds of fans in Minnesota.
