Sam Darnold isn’t to blame for the Minnesota Vikings‘ 31-29 loss to the Detroit Lions, but it did shed light on just how far he can take Minnesota.
Caught in a firefight with the Lions, Darnold played well in a game-manager role, completing 22-of-27 pass attempts for 259 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a 103.5 passer rating.
However, it was his first touchdown in 10 quarters of action.
A franchise only gets so many swings at contending for a Super Bowl. The Vikings, currently 5-1, are ahead of schedule with Darnold after being projected to finish last in the NFC North.
But with many of the NFC’s top teams downtrodden by injury this season, the front office may not stomach seeing Darnold’s development through and instead accelerate their path to contention now that expectations this season have changed.
The calls for Matthew Stafford are growing with the analytics community beginning to pitch the Vikings should trade for the $160 million Super Bowl quarterback.
“With the Rams currently trailing to the Raiders, let me say it out loud: The Minnesota Vikings should trade for Matthew Stafford,” Pro Football Focus’ Timo Riske posted to X (formerly Twitter) on October 20.
The trade idea broke through to local affiliate Fox 9, which broke down the stakes of making the upgrade at quarterback.
“If this is starting to cave around Darnold, are you just going to let it float away downstream,” Jim Rich said before agreeing Minnesota should make the move.
Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Has Protected Sam Darnold
GettyKevin O’Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, speaks to quarterback Sam Darnold #14
The Vikings have maintained a steady floor with Darnold through the first seven weeks of the season — but his ceiling may have also been reached.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has done well in protecting Darnold early in the season, attempting the third-fewest pass attempts in the league and the fewest total plays so far this season.
However, in a high-stakes, playoff situation where Minnesota must outrace an opponent offensively, Darnold has yet to be unleashed.
The Vikings defense isn’t going to shut out the league’s top offenses, especially a Detroit team they’re bound to meet in the postseason. The Lions have averaged 30.3 points per game in its past three games facing Brian Flores. Minnesota has allowed just 18.9 points per game against the rest of their competition with Flores on the controls.
O’Connell has maintained that he wants to be aggressive offensively and has touted his confidence in Darnold throughout the season.
Darnold leads the league in big-time throws and has the highest deep-ball accuracy (56.7%) in the league. It begs the question of what the Vikings’ past air-raid offenses with O’Connell would look like with Darnold this year.
Yet, O’Connell has not taken the governor off Darnold, given Darnold’s past of reckless turnovers.
Minnesota will win the majority of their games this season with the way Darnold has been playing, but in the defining moments where they need more, O’Connell’s trust in Darnold will be put to the test.
Vikings to Get Good Look at Rams’ Matthew Stafford in Week 8
GettyMatthew Stafford and Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams.
The NFL’s November 5 trade deadline is approaching, and the next few weeks will have heavy implications on the type of move Minnesota could make.
Facing the Stafford-led Rams on Thursday Night Football in Week 8, the Vikings will get a good look at the quarterback that O’Connell worked with during their 2021 Super Bowl run.
Los Angeles has struggled with season with injuries that have impacted the offense’s efficiency, but the skillset is still there for Stafford, who threw for 41 touchdowns on his run to the Super Bowl.
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