It's only fitting that the venue where Sam Darnold earned the "draft bust" label served as the setting for what he and the Vikings hope is the first step in a career resurgence.
Once upon a time, Darnold was the No. 3 overall pick out of USC by the New York Jets. For reasons perhaps both in and out of his control, he flopped in that situation over the course of three rocky seasons. Many of those struggles took place at MetLife Stadium, the shared home of the Jets and Giants in East Rutherford, NJ.
On Sunday, Darnold returned to MetLife for the first time since a rough outing in 2021 as a member of the Panthers. He's now 27 years old and on his fourth team. The Vikings signed him to a one-year bridge deal this offseason to replace Kirk Cousins and be a placeholder for a rookie. And because J.J. McCarthy is out for the season, this year is all about Darnold in Minnesota. This is the best opportunity he's had in his career, surrounded by talented players and a quarterback-friendly head coach in Kevin O'Connell. Everything is set up for a bounce-back year that rejuvenates Darnold and cements him as a bona fide NFL starting quarterback.
He couldn't have gotten off to a much better start. Darnold completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday in an easy 28-6 victory over the Giants. The Vikings' new quarterback connected on his first 12 pass attempts and was generally smart with the football. His only turnover came when his arm was hit by Dexter Lawrence in the second half.
"For a guy in a new system to start 12 for 12 and be incredibly poised throughout the day, huge performance for us to be able to build off with Sam," O'Connell said.
Darnold's final numbers weren't overly eye-popping, in part because the Vikings were up by double digits for the entire second half. But he completed nearly 80 percent of his passes and seemed to be in control of O'Connell's offense. Darnold was decisive with the football, finding eight different players for at least one catch and taking just one sack on the day.
"It was huge just to play efficient football, and play on time," Darnold said. "That’s always going to be a recipe for success. ... Just playing with confidence. I think that’s the biggest thing, because we’ve got a great offense, we’ve got a great system. If I just play on time and do all the things I need to do to execute, we’ll be alright."
The most impressive and impactful series of the day for Darnold and the Vikings was their 99-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. Backed up near their own goal line, they marched the length of the field to take a 14-3 lead that would never be threatened. Darnold was 7 of 7 for 97 yards on that drive, which was highlighted by a 44-yard bomb to Justin Jefferson that O'Connell called a "remarkable" throw. To cap it off, O'Connell kept his offense on the field on a 4th and 2 from the Giants' 3-yard-line — and was rewarded for it when Darnold hit Jefferson in the end zone on a quick slant.
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In the third quarter, Darnold essentially sealed the game with a 21-yard touchdown strike to a wide open Jalen Nailor on a pretty play design from O'Connell.
It's just one week. There's a long ways to go. But as he looks to turn his career around this year, Darnold set an impressive tone on Sunday.
"I’ve talked a lot about the quarterback journey," O'Connell said. "Quarterbacks in our league don’t get to control a lot of that journey and they’re expected to perform, in some cases immediately. I’ve just always really liked the way Sam carries himself. He’s a talented player, he can make big time throws. Every throw we’re going to ask him to make, he’s more than capable of doing that. And then he’s a great example of what this last month and a half has really been like, preparing in a way that will show up on a Sunday.
"There’s a lot of things that Sam will probably come in here and say he can do better, but I can tell you, starting 12 for 12 and having the presence to help overcome that early adversity comes directly from the quarterback position. And that’s probably why his teammates viewed him as a captain and almost unanimously voted him one. I can’t say enough about what he was able to do and how excited I am to build on his performance today moving forward."
