Sam Darnold has experienced a career revival his his first season with the Minnesota Vikings.
Sunday’s version of Sam Darnold has looked very much like the player who failed in multiple NFL stops after being selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft.
Darnold threw three interceptions through the first three quarters against the Jacksonville Jaguars, with two of them coming on passes to the end zone.
Darnold’s first interception took place with the Jaguars holding a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. He threw a first-down pass in Jaguars territory to Justin Jefferson, who was blanketed by cornerback Tyson Campbell. Campbell broke up the pass, and linebacker Foyesade Oluokun picked it off on the deflection.
The turnover killed a drive that had already advanced into field goal range.
Darnold’s second interception thwarted a potential touchdown drive. With Jacksonville leading 7-3 in the second quarter, Darnold looked to Jefferson in the end zone on second-and-goal at the 7-yard line. Instead, he found Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown.
Darnold’s underthrown pass never stood a chance. He made the mistake with plenty of time and no pressure in the pocket.
Darnold’s third interception was much like his second. This time, Darnold looked again to Jefferson on a pass toward the end zone on third and three from the Jacksonville 17-yard line. Safety Darnell Savage was in deep coverage and jumped the route. He picked the ball off at the goal line, killing another would-be Vikings scoring drive.
The mistakes were familiar to fans who watched Darnold in his time as a starter with the New York Jets team that drafted him and then with Carolina Panthers. Darnold threw double-digit interceptions in each of his first four NFL seasons.
The Jets traded Darnold to the Panthers in 2021 after he averaged 13 interceptions per season and completed just 59.8% of his passes in three seasons in New York. He looked very much like the same player in a season-plus as Carolina’s starter while throwing 16 interceptions and completing 59.5% of his passes in 19 appearances with the Panthers.
After spending 2023 as a backup for the 49ers, Darnold joined the Vikings this offseason and was expected to back up first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy. An injury to McCarthy opened up the opportunity for Darnold to start again, and he’s largely thrived this season playing in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips’ offense.
Playing behind a strong offensive line alongside weapons like Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Aaron Jones has also upped Darnold’s profile. In eight starts before Sunday, Darnold completed 69.5% of his passes with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 6-2 Vikings team that’s in prime position to compete for the playoffs.
But Sunday’s Darnold looked very much like the Darnold of old. He was able to move the ball the ball with considerable success, but killed multiple drives with avoidable mistakes. And a Jaguars that entered the day with two interceptions for the entire season more than doubled that tally midway through the third quarter.