The Minnesota Vikings have been reborn with Sam Darnold at quarterback, and thankfully the renaissance (Darnoldisssance?) can continue without interruption. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the MRI on Darnold’s knee showed a bruise but no structural damage and the QB isn’t expected to miss any time.
Darnold took a low hit late in the third quarter against the Houston Texans on Sunday. He went down. And then he stayed down. The trainers came out. Nick Mullens came in to replace him at QB. Everyone feared the worst.
But then Darnold came back in, missing just one play. He played through the knee issue and ended up throwing four touchdowns and zero interceptions in the 34-7 win. He told ProFootballTalk after the game that his knee was “good, and that’s as much as I’m gonna say about that.”
Darnold’s health is paramount going into Week 4. The Vikings will face the Green Bay Packers, their greatest rival, at Lambeau Field on Sunday. That will be the true test of this surging Vikings team: can they handle a hot Packers squad that is about to get Jordan Love, their QB, back from an injury? We won’t know until next week, but a healthy Darnold gives them a much better chance than an injured one.