Through two games in 2024, Vikings $10 million "bridge" quarterback Sam Darnold has inarguably out-performed the team's old QB, Atlanta Falcons $45-million-per-year starter Kirk Cousins.
Darnold, leading the 2-0 Vikings, has completed 72 percent of his passes for 476 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, and a 111.8 rating. Cousins, with the 1-1 Falcons, has completed 65.5 percent of his throws for 396 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, and an 89.7 rating.
That's a small sample size, and Cousins looked much better in a Monday night win over the Eagles than he did in a Week 1 loss that created concerns about his health and mobility. The 36-year-old veteran also has a vastly superior track record than Darnold, which is reflected in the contracts they received this offseason.
Still, could it be possible the Vikings somehow managed to upgrade at the sport's most important position this offseason? NFL.com's latest starting QB rankings, compiled by Nick Shook, have Darnold at No. 15 and Cousins one spot behind him at No. 16.
Here's what Shook wrote about Darnold, who he has moved up six spots from last week and now 12 total spots from his pre-Week 1 ranks:
"I feel my outlook on Darnold with the Vikings changing rather rapidly The main reason: He looks like he's matured, almost as if he's graduated from NFL hopeful to a veteran who knows better than to worry about an extra rusher on any given down. Darnold is handling the job with composure we've never seen from him in the NFL, and he has largely avoided the catastrophic mistakes that were too prevalent earlier in his career.
He put this (and his courage) on full display on one key third down in the fourth quarter of Minnesota's win over San Francisco, in which he stood in a pocket that was crumbling in his face and fired a rocket down the seam between three 49ers defenders to Jalen Nailor for a crucial conversion. In that moment, I yelped, because I hadn't seen Darnold do that since he was playing at USC. That's growth, folks. That's the type of performance that can steady a team, and Darnold has certainly done so in his first two starts."
Shook isn't the only one who thinks the Vikings may have really found something with their new quarterback. Earlier this week, Chris Simms said Darnold has "more potential to make that Minnesota offense look good than Kirk Cousins did." Colin Cowherd, in his classic manner, recently compared Cousins to a baker and Darnold to a chef.
It's clear that Darnold, the former No. 3 overall pick, has more impressive raw physical traits than Cousins. He's slightly bigger, faster, and has a stronger arm. Where Darnold has always struggled is in the critical areas that Cousins thrives in: Pocket presence, reading defenses, decision-making, accuracy. However, Kevin O'Connell has Darnold looking a lot better in that regard so far this year.
As of this very moment, even after the Achilles injury, I think most people would still take Cousins over Darnold for the rest of the 2024 season, contracts aside. But it's certainly a lot closer than it was two weeks ago — and it would not shock me at all if Darnold ends up having the better season of the two when it's all said and done.
Shook's rankings at least feel a lot more sensible than those of The Ringer's Steven Ruiz, who has Cousins at 17 and refuses to move Darnold up from 29.
