Through four games, Sam Darnold is first in the NFL in passer rating and is leading the league in touchdown completions. On Sunday, he marshaled the Minnesota Vikings to their largest lead ever at Lambeau Field. And he is doing it in a decidedly different fashion than Kirk Cousins. Gone are the checkdowns and sloth-like escapability. Darnold also isn’t timid about attacking a defense. Is a corner covering Justin Jefferson like a blanket? Darnold sees a window.
I think it was Brett Favre who first said that high school QBs need door-sized accuracy, college QBs need doorknob accuracy, and NFL QBs need keyhole accuracy. This is a keyhole pass. Jefferson is decidedly not open. But Darnold sees possibility and puts it there for a crucial TD, basically stapling the ball to Jefferson’s chest on the throw.
Darnold is not perfect, and he seems to have at least one What the hell, Sam!? moment per game. Darnold had another one early against the Green Bay Packers. Below, you’ll see him scramble and try to get the ball to Jefferson. He must not have seen Green Bay linebacker Isaiah McDuffie because Darnold’s throw hits him right in the chest. Darnold is lucky he doesn’t have hands like Jefferson.
Fortunately, Darnold’s “WTH” moment did not hurt the Vikings this game. But how different would this game have been if McDuffie held on to that?
Darnold hasn’t improved by accident. Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah saw something in Darnold that others didn’t. The Vikings may have the NFL’s best WR group in the NFL, a solid offensive line, and running back group. They believed that in this offense, Darnold could use his cannon arm in ways that the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers couldn’t. The difference between last year’s version of this offense and this one is Darnold’s willingness to go for a big play, and his mobility.
Below, you’ll see Darnold make a play with his feet, something even the most devout Cousins believers will admit is not in his bag of tricks. Here, Darnold drops back on third-and-1. He can’t find anybody open against Green Bay’s Cover 1 scheme, which I believe had the safety shading to Jefferson’s side. With no one open and Green Bay’s defense in man, Darnold takes advantage and finds a crease due to solid protection. It’s only a four-yard gain, but it proved a critical first down as the Vikings built a big lead by converting touchdowns in the red zone.
Darnold shows his mobility again here:
Once again, Darnold can’t find a throw downfield. However, instead of taking a sack, he eludes the rush and has the speed to pull away. With Cousins at QB, this is at best second-and-10 or most likely second-and-16. Darnold turned it into a 12-yard gain.
Of course, Darnold is throwing to the best WR in the world right now in Jefferson. He also welcomed Jordan Addison‘s return, who had a stellar day.
Below you see an example of the brilliance of the KOC and Darnold tandem. The Vikings motion to a condensed 2×2 formation, with TE Josh Oliver in motion to Addison’s side. Oliver runs a flat, and the linebacker jumps him. Addison then shakes the boots off of Corey Ballentine, who has no help as the Packers were shading their safety coverage (understandably) towards Jefferson’s side. Don’t listen to the announcer; there is no double team. Still, the extra attention from the safety toward Jefferson, who you can see late in the clip, is enough to give Darnold enough time to complete the pass.
The play design above takes advantage of how Green Bay was playing and features Addison’s strengths and Darnold’s powerful arm. We’re seeing different play design from KOC this year to feature Darnold’s arm strength, and it’s been spectacular.
In the play below, you’ll see Green Bay’s defense show their version of the Bengal package, with seven players at the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball. Imitation is the most honest form of flattery in the NFL. At the snap, Green Bay drops into a Tampa-3 coverage, with LB Quay Walker defending the deep middle, corners in the flats, and two deep safeties. Addison runs a brilliant stutter-go-in route, and Darnold throws on time. The throw is slightly off, but Addison makes an otherworldly catch.
The synergy between coach and QB was on full display late in the game. O’Connell trusted Darnold and his receiving corps to roll the dice with a pass late in the game. Up nine with four minutes remaining on your opponent’s 31-yard line is not normally a passing situation. Still, KOC calls a play-action pass, showing his trust in Darnold’s decision making. As he’s hit, Darnold unleashes a pass that, while not a perfect spiral, was on the money to Addison.
The play sealed the Vikings’ victory, giving them a fresh set of downs on Green Bay’s 13-yard line. The Packers only had one TO and could only hope for a miracle (which they almost got).
Maybe it’s just the difference in the type of hero here that makes me enjoy watching Darnold so much more than I did Cousins. Instead of an over-achieving late-round pick taking advantage of his cerebral powers and delicate touch to scratch and slice away at the opponent bit by bit, we are watching a beast of an athlete with a cannon of an arm who was picked third in his draft due to his physical skills finally figure things out. Cousins wins by cunning and guile, while Darnold wins by sheer force of talent and a newfound mitzvah of having the keys to an offense that fits him.
