It's no secret that the Minnesota Vikings struck gold with the signing of quarterback Sam Darnold this offseason and it continues to pay off for them.
Not only are the Vikings sitting at 8-2 with a realistic chance to make the playoffs and win the NFC North, but they are fielding an explosive offense with a defense to match. The biggest factor has been the offense, which ranks sixth in EPA/play and even more impressively third in EPA/dropback, ahead of teams like the Buffalo Bills, Washington Commanders, and Detroit Lions.
Darnold has been the catalyst to the success of the Vikings and his influence is growing.
Sam Darnold asked for Jordan Addison's touchdown
When preparing for each game, quarterbacks worth closely with the coaching staff to derive the game plan. What plays do they like and think will work effectively on the field come Sunday afternoon? It's a common thing that you will hear about consistently.
What we don't always see is how that will manifest. The Vikings' social media account posted a clip on Wednesday of quarterbacks coach Josh McCown talking to Darnold about wanting a play put in that ended up being a touchdown to Jordan Addison.
"Remember when you texted me Wednesday night 'Hey, can we get a dagger with JA (Jordan Addison) tomorrow?' How cool is that bro?"
The play got the Vikings off on the right track after going down 3-0 and they eventually won the game 23-13. His intelligence and intuition is making a difference for the Vikings and it's coming out in a big way.
