EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Minnesota Vikings had just completed their longest drive in 16 years on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium — one punctuated by a pair of laser throws from quarterback Sam Darnold to receiver Justin Jefferson — when coach Kevin O’Connell stole a knowing glance at Jefferson.
“I saw Justin’s face after that drive,” O’Connell said, “and I think he felt pretty darn good about who is throwing him the football.”
In his Vikings debut, Darnold produced one of the best games of his career by connecting on his first 12 throws and finishing with 19 completions in 24 attempts for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Were it not for a third-quarter interception caused by a hit as he threw, his passer rating would have been a career-high 130.6.
External uncertainty about Darnold’s aptitude as a full-time starter is largely why the Vikings are a consensus pick to finish last in the NFC North. But at least on this day, Darnold utilized the Vikings’ playmakers while avoiding the mistakes that plagued him earlier in his career during stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
“The biggest thing is just playing with confidence,” Darnold said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. We’ve got a great offense. We’ve got a great system. If I just play on time and do all the things we need to do to execute, we’ll be alright.”
Jefferson has been exhorting Darnold to be confident throughout training camp, to trust not only his arm and his reads but also in Jefferson himself. The pair demonstrated their progress on a second-and-10 play from the Vikings’ 10-yard line midway through the second quarter. Despite two Giants defenders chasing Jefferson down the field, Darnold lofted a long pass — one that O’Connell said was “remarkable” — toward the left sideline. The ball led Jefferson into an open space, and he hauled it in for a 44-yard gain. It was the biggest play of a 99-yard drive, the team’s longest since Week 13 of the 2008 season, and led to a 3-yard touchdown between the pair on fourth down.
“That’s going to be something we’re going to need throughout the season,” Jefferson said, “so I’m just giving him that confidence, giving him that juice to throw me a ball whenever I’m doubled — because I was doubled on that [44-yard] play. That was him throwing it to a spot and me going to get it. That’s going to happen a majority of the time this season. He’s got to understand, even when I’m doubled, I’m still open and I’m going to make that play.”
Vikings players and coaches were careful not to make too much of Darnold’s performance, which came against a defense that appeared outmatched at multiple positions in the secondary. In theory, the Vikings’ Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers will provide a stiffer test.
Darnold, after all, signed a one-year contract in March worth $10 million to hold down the position until whomever the Vikings drafted in April — Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall, as it turned out — was ready to take over. McCarthy was surging in training camp when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury, presumably leaving the position to Darnold for the entire season.
The bar was low for him to exceed expectations. For Sunday at least, he reached it.
“I don’t think anybody’s surprised that Sam Darnold played the way he did today,” O’Connell said. “I know I’m certainly not. I tried to foreshadow as much as I could throughout training camp, and I’m just proud of him.”