The Minnesota Vikings are now 2-0 and Sam Darnold is the man under center. No one gave Darnold or the Vikings much hope this season, but they are on a weekly venture to change that narrative. It will probably take a few more weeks to stick, but the early results have been positive.
Prior to the season Sam Darnold polled as one of the worst starting quarterbacks across the entire NFL. Of course that was rooted in everything that he has been to this point in his career. In a more ideal situation, there was always a reason to believe he could be better.
Sam Darnold making believers out of doubters?
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe recently published his Week 3 QB stock report and the Vikings undefeated quarterback is starting to make his way up the rankings. Darnold started the season at 28th, and now ranks 19th, through two weeks.
Sam Darnold could lay claim to the biggest gripe in the rankings … Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell runs a QB-friendly offense, and wide receiver Justin Jefferson makes everyone around him better at their jobs — 20.4 percent of Darnold’s passing yards this season occurred on one throw to Jefferson on Sunday, after all.
Darnold appears to be set up for success more than any other point in his career, and it wouldn’t be too difficult to argue Darnold is off to a better start than some of the quarterbacks who are ranked ahead of him. So why the low ranking?
It’s still too small of a sample for a QB who has shown flashes like this at various points in his career, notably during a solid 3-0 start with the Panthers in 2021 before it all came crashing down. If Darnold sustains this pace, he’ll move up the rankings.
Jeff Howe on Sam Darnold’s Week 3 QB stock ranking (The Athletic)
Darnold has had a much better year than being the 19th best quarterback in the league, but the year is just two weeks old. If he can continue to substantiate this performance, there’s no reason why he can’t inch closer to the top ten.
Minnesota hosts the Houston Texans on Sunday. They do so as home underdogs once again. Another big performance by Darnold will only continue to generate belief behind Kevin O’Connell’s group.
How high can Vikings Sam Darnold climb?
Realistically there is a ceiling to Sam Darnold’s placement amongst NFL quarterbacks. Even if he were to challenge for an MVP award this season, he simply won’t overtake some of the other signal callers across the league. Looking at the Week 3 stock report though, there is an area for him to settle in.
- 1. Patrick Mahomes
- ….
- 6. Aaron Rodgers
- ….
- 12. Brock Purdy
- ….
- 17. Kirk Cousins
- 18. Trevor Lawrence
- 19. Sam Darnold
- 20. Caleb Williams
- ….
- 27. DeShaun Watson
- 28. Bo Nix
- ….
- 30. Will Levis
Darnold finds himself just behind Trevor Lawrence and former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Brock Purdy, Derek Carr, and Geno Smith are all ahead of him, and seemingly passable, if Darnold can perform in week three vs the Houston Texans.
Kyler Murray had the biggest jump of any QB in week two, going from 17th to 7th, after a strong performance against the Los Angeles Rams. The greatest thing holding Darnold back is the bias evaluators will have regarding his past stops in the league.
But through two games, Sam appears to be a different guy, in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s system. When Cousins was under center in Minnesota, he usually ranked in the 10-15 range, among his peers. That feels like a realistic landing spot for Darnold as well… and at a fraction of the cost.
If the Vikings can get a top-third, or even top-half quarterback performance out of Darnold for the remainder of this season, they should find themselves in the playoff conversation, come January. You can’t make the playoffs with two wins, but stacking them now will certainly help later.
