For portions of this 2024 NFL season, it was easy to think that Sam Darnold was winning games because his Minnesota Vikings teammates were so good. Darnold was being carried by the Vikings’ elite defense and their other talented players. On Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, Darnold did the carrying.
In what feels like a significant moment in Darnold’s career, the former USC star put the Vikings on his back, throwing a clutch 39-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson late in the fourth quarter to give Minnesota a 27-24 win over Seattle and push the Vikings to 13-2, tied with the Detroit Lions atop the NFC North.
Darnold has benefited from the talent and coaching surrounding him in Minnesota. On Sunday, it was different: The Vikings benefited from having Darnold there in crunch time, delivering the big plays an elite quarterback makes. If Darnold plays like this in January, the Vikings will have a real chance to make their first Super Bowl in 48 years. Minnesota’s last Super Bowl appearance was in Super Bowl XI versus the Oakland Raiders in January of 1977.