The Minnesota Vikings went on the road to Seattle to face off against the Seahawks and the 12’s. In what was a seesaw matchup full of twists and turns, quarterback Sam Darnold led his third fourth-quarter go-ahead drive in the last four games and connected with wide receiver Justin Jefferson for what would be the game-winning touchdown in a 27-24 road win.
The former USC Trojans quarterback finished the game 22/35 for 246 passing yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Darnold also posted a 112.3 passer rating vs. Seattle, marking his 12th game this season. Darnold now holds the NFL record for the most games with a 100.0 or more passer rating in a player's first season with a team since 1950.
“I just felt like the frontside wasn’t there and felt Jetts (Jefferson) doing his thing on the backside and we got some cloud coverage and he did a really good job of finding the open zone, and I was able to put it on him and he did the rest,” said Sam Darnold of the go-head touchdown.
With his 31st passing touchdown this season, quarterback Sam Darnold passes Kirk Cousins for the second-most touchdown passes by a quarterback in his first season as a Viking. Hall of Famer Brett Favre had 33 in the 2009 season, Darnold has 31 this season, and Kirk Cousins had 30 in 2018.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold also joins NFL legends Peyton Manning and Steve McNair as the signal-callers with the most wins by a quarterback in their first season with a new team, all three having 13. Darnold could break that record if the Vikings win either of their last two games.
According to Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell, the communications system in Darnold’s helmet malfunctioned, and Darnold couldn’t hear the play call before a pivotal play where the quarterback ran for a first down late in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t particularly know what he called,” O’Connell said. “I just know that once I saw him have space and run like he did, I was relieved.”
That’s the kind of magic that can’t be made up. The belief and trust Darnold, O’Connell, and the Vikings have in one another is palpable. In one of the toughest environments in professional sports on the road in Seattle, they never budged. Those are the types of moments they’ll look back on in the coming years and remember what made them a special group.
Now 13-2, the Vikings' 13 wins tie for the second most in a season in franchise history (2017 and 2022), trailing only Minnesota’s 15 wins in 1998. Kevin O’Connell is the first head coach in franchise history with multiple 13-win seasons in his career. The Vikings and Darnold are still in the hunt for the No. 1 seed and the NFC North championship crown, but they’ve overachieved no matter what the next two weeks bring.
