The Minnesota Vikings, head coach Kevin O’Connell and Sam Darnold answered a lot of questions in Week 1 against the New York Giants in a 28-6 victory. Darnold tried to carry momentum into Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. He got off to a good start on a 97-yard touchdown to Justin Jefferson.
Darnold was strong against the Giants a week ago, going 19-24 for 208 yards with two touchdowns and just one interception on a tipped ball. All that resulted in a Vikings win, and a quarterback rating of 113.2 for Darnold.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell called Darnold a surprise and noted him having the hottest start of any Week 1 quarterback.
“If you’ve held onto your Darnold bags all these years, your time might have arrived. Once picked with the hopes he would torch bad defenses in the Meadowlands, Darnold returned to his old stamping grounds and laid waste to the Giants, starting his Vikings career by completing his first 12 passes in what would eventually be a 28-6 Minnesota victory.
What was most impressive about Darnold, though, was his anticipation and ability to throw into open spaces. He hit a seemingly covered Justin Jefferson for 44 yards on a pass that threw the star wideout open. His most impressive throw of Week 1 might have been a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Nailor, where he worked from one side of the field to the other and then back, resetting his feet each time, before lobbing a pass under duress to Minnesota’s third wideout for a score.
Being able to hit a long home run against the vaunted 49ers is keeping the arrow pointed in the right direction for Sam Darnold.
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