The Minnesota Vikings have a chance to be historically good where their franchise is concerned this regular season, and Sam Darnold literally couldn’t care less.
That was his message during a postgame, on-field interview with ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry following a fourth-quarter comeback win over the Seattle Seahawks on the road Sunday, December 22.
Thiry noted to Darnold that his team’s 13 wins is the second-most in franchise history, behind only the 15 victories the 1998 squad put together. Then she asked the Vikings quarterback what that meant to him.
“Nothing,” Darnold said.
“We’re just gonna keep rolling,” he added. “We’re gonna keep going 1-0 every single week, and that’s our mindset.”
Darnold also hinted at his desired future in the NFL, specifically with Minnesota.
“This whole team man, I’m so proud of those guys and wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else,” he said.
Sam Darnold Hit Justin Jefferson for Late TD to Complete Electric 4th-Quarter Comeback
GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
Darnold was spectacular against Seattle, and he had to be otherwise Minnesota would have walked out of Lumen Field with its third loss rather than its 13th win.
The icing on the superb slice of holiday baking Darnold cooked up from the pocket all afternoon was a 39-yard strike to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson for a touchdown with 30 seconds remaining in the contest, which capped the comeback and sealed Minnesota’s 27-24 victory.
Darnold explained the play to Thiry after the game.
“I just felt like the front side wasn’t there, and felt [Jefferson] on the backside doing his thing,” Darnold said. “I was able to put it on him, and he did the rest.”
The grab was Jefferson’s 10th of the day, as well as his second touchdown of the afternoon, and pushed his yardage tally to 144 yards.
Darnold added 246 yards and 3 touchdowns to his season-long resumé, which is now highlighted by 3,776 yards passing, 32 TDs and 11 INTs on a completion rate better than 67%.
Vikings Control Fate With Regards to NFC North Division, Top Seed in Playoffs
GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
Darnold’s clear implication following the victory was that while regular season wins matter, they are a means to an end. That end is the Super Bowl, and winning both the NFC North Division and capturing the No. 1 overall seed in the conference (as well as the first-round bye that comes with it) would be huge advantages toward that ultimate goal.
With its victory in Seattle Sunday, Minnesota continues to control its own fate. The Vikings are tied with the Detroit Lions at 13-2 atop the NFC, one game ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles who fell to the Washington Commanders in Week 16.
The Lions own the tiebreak, but Minnesota can render that irrelevant with wins in the final two weeks of the season. The Vikings play their last home game of the campaign at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday.
Should they come out on top, Minnesota will travel to Detroit for a Week 18 matchup with the Lions that will decide the winner of both the division and the conference.
