Sam Darnold

Trojans in the NFL brought their A-games in Week 11

Tuli Tuipulotu and Amon-Ra St. Brown were the best of the best for USC in the NFL this past weekend. Trojans are showing out on the pro football stage.

On Saturday, the current USC team took care of business against Nebraska, holding on for a 28-20 victory. On Sunday, numerous former USC players showed out for their respective NFL teams. Let’s take a look at some of the top performances by Trojans in the NFL from Week 11.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

The Detroit Lions’ superstar wide receiver caught 11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 52-6 blowout of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Talk about a monster day.

Tuli Tuipulotu

In a primetime showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Los Angeles Chargers’ young defensive lineman was more than ready for the moment. Tuli Tuipulotu had 1.5 sacks of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in a 34-27 LA win.

After a few rough weeks, Darnold bounced back on Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings quarterback completed 20 of his 32 pass attempts for 246 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Jordan Addison

On the receiving end of one of Darnold’s TDs was Jordan Addison. The second year wideout caught three passes for 61 yards and a score in Minnesota’s win.

Drake London

It was a rough afternoon for the Atlanta Falcons, who suffered a 38-6 blowout loss to the Broncos in Denver. But London still had a solid day, catching three passes for 61 yards.

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Vikings receive great news on final injury report before Week 11

On Friday, ahead of Week 11, the Vikings received their healthiest injury report of the season.

The Minnesota Vikings have been battling injuries every week of the season on both sides of the ball. The team has gained back some players and then lost some other key ones as a form of trade on injury reports.

On Friday, ahead of Week 11, the Vikings received their healthiest injury report of the season.

The Vikings have just one player on the injury report: rookie edge rusher Gabriel Murphy, who is recovering from a knee injury this past offseason. He is still within his 21-day open practice window, so he wasn’t expected to be cleared this quickly.

The best part of the injury report was the removal of Sam Darnold (shoulder), Andrew Van Ginkel (hip), Blake Cashman (elbow), and Aaron Jones (Ribs). All those key starters had lingering injuries, and their removal in the final report is a major win before Week 11 against the Titans.

They now will have a roster that is 7-2 and at full strength against a Titans roster that is 2-7.

ESPN sees Sam Darnold as a highly coveted free agent in 2025

When ESPN wrote about the upcoming free agent class, they ranked the players, and Sam Darnold came in rather high compared to others.

The Minnesota Vikings have benefited from Sam Darnold’s play this year. He is set to be a free agent since he signed a one-year deal with the team this offseason.

When ESPN wrote about the upcoming free agent class, they ranked the players, and Sam Darnold came in rather high compared to others.

Matt Bowen wrote that Darnold should be a rather popular quarterback option for teams. He writes, “With his arm strength and mobility, Darnold will have options on the market if he can produce over the second half of the season.” He has shown his year he can be more than a bridge quarterback; the money he earns this Spring could also reflect that.

However, on the note of being a bridge, Jeremy Fowler writes that “Darnold and Minnesota are 7-2 together, so entertaining a bridge deal while the team continues to develop McCarthy behind the scenes shouldn’t be completely off the table.”

If Darnold were to return, McCarthy and his knee would be in a completely different situation to justify it.

Titans vs. Vikings: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 11

The Tennessee Titans square off in a Sunday afternoon battle against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11. Here are three reasons for concern.

The Tennessee Titans are coming off another loss — this time it was against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Will Levis returned from his shoulder injury and was solid, but the Chargers were more physically and technically sound in every facet of the game. This week, the 2-7 Titans will take on the 7-2 Minnesota Vikings in a game that features two strong defenses and quarterbacks that are turnover-prone. Unfortunately, for Titans fans, the Vikings are a better team.

Still, for Titans fans, there are some reasons for optimism in Week 11, and here are three of them.

Darnolds’ turnovers

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold started the season on fire and looked like a new player. What a difference a few weeks make. Darnold has reverted back to his erratic ways and was a major reason why the Vikings were almost upset on the road in Jacksonville. He threw three interceptions against the Jags and five in the past two games. The Titans have a better defense than the Jaguars and could cause problems for Darnold.

Kicking game

If there is one area where the Titans’ special teams are not a disaster, and they have a clear advantage in this game, it is at kicker. Nick Folk did see his perfect season come to an end, but he is still 12-of-13 on field goals with a long of 53 yards and 17-of-17 on extra points. This contrasts sharply with Vikings kicker John Parker Romo, who will be kicking in only his second game. He did go 4-of-4 against Jacksonville, but if the game is on the line, my money would be on Folk.

Schedule

The Vikings are traveling to Nashville a week after traveling to Jacksonville and a week before returning home to take on their division rivals: the Chicago Bears. With the Bears in a tailspin, the Vikings could be looking past the Titans toward an opportunity to kick the Bears when they’re down. It’s not much, but the Vikings squeaked by the Jaguars a week ago and the Titans are a more balanced team.

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ESPN speculates where Sam Darnold will play in 2025 if he leaves Vikings

Because of his play in 2024, Darnold is now expected to become a highly sought-after free agent during the upcoming offseason.

Sam Darnold has exceeded everyone’s expectations for the 2024 season by a wide margin. Even we here at Vikings Wire didn’t have too high of expectations for the team, but Darnold has been able to get the most out of this team alongside the coaching staff.

Because of his play in 2024, Darnold is now expected to become a highly sought-after free agent during the upcoming offseason.

ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano were asked to preview the free agent class and list some potential fits for them. When discussing Darnold, Fowler listed the Titans but also mentioned the Panthers, Colts, Raiders, Browns, and Jets.

I’m not sure if Darnold would return to the Panthers and Jets, considering he played there with little success prior in his career.

Meanwhile, Dan Graziano presented a different spot with fun implications. He has Darnold heading back out west to play for the Los Angeles Rams, either to replace or be behind Matthew Stafford for a year. It also allowed Darnold to return to where he played college football in Los Angeles as a member of the USC Trojans.

Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy undergoes second procedure on injured knee

Fast forward a few months and in the middle of his rehab, McCarthy is undergoing another surgery.

The Minnesota Vikings lost rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy to a torn meniscus early in the preseason. Everyone thought he was going to be playing sooner rather than later but those plans were sidelined.

Fast forward a few months following his initial injury, and in the middle of his rehab, McCarthy is undergoing another surgery on his meniscus.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN was the first to report the surgery and provided the details. According to Seifert, McCarthy started to experience swelling in his surgically repaired knee while rehabbing. He received a biologic injection, and his timetable to return should not be extended.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media on Wednesday about McCarthy and his knee and provided further comment. His answer to that question and more can be found below.

Coach O’Connell gives an update on J.J. McCarthy pic.twitter.com/75auY0NCZ8

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 13, 2024

Kevin O’Connell shares details of the work he and Sam Darnold do

As it turns out, to no one’s surprise, Kevin O’Connell isn’t playing favorites but rather is giving all his quarterbacks equal treatment.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that J.J. McCarthy was back in the Vikings facility and continuing his rehab. One of those details included that he was meeting with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell weekly to discuss things and it had people questioning why Sam Darnold wasn’t getting the same treatment.

As it turns out, to no one’s surprise, Kevin O’Connell isn’t playing favorites but rather is giving all his quarterbacks equal treatment.

When speaking to the media on Monday, O’Connell gave some details as to the inner workings of his relationship with Sam Darnold operates. Not only did he reaffirm that Danrold is the starter, as did many players, but he also shared that he and Darnold meet weekly.

Just as he and J.J. McCarthy do.

The play-calling and decision-making choices show that O’Connell works hard to ensure his quarterbacks are in a good place. Despite Darnold playing the way he did this past week, it should speak very loud about what O’Connell and the organization think of Darnold to stick with him.

Salary cap implications complicate Sam Darnold being a Viking in 2025

The voice of the Vikings, Paul Allen doesn’t see Darnold back in Minnesota next season.

Plenty of Viking fans are left scratching their head following Sam Darnold’s three-interception performance on Sunday against the Jaguars. Minnesota got the job done and won 12-7 against Jacksonville, but Darnold arguably played his worst Viking game.

Darnold is tied with Geno Smith and Jordan Love for last in the league with 10 interceptions thrown. There was a reason the Vikings drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy to become their new franchise quarterback, and even if Darnold can get back on track, it’s unlikely he will be in Minnesota after this year.

What Allen eludes to is the main issue with Darnold returning to the Vikings in 2025. It has nothing to do with his play but rather with the salary cap implications. Darnold is likely to get a contract earning between $20-$30 million a year from a team needing a quality starter, which Darnold has proven to be.

“I mean, if Sam Darnold wins the Super Bowl as quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, he’s not getting 100 million guaranteed here,” Paul Allen said on KFAN1003. “He’s not, because Kwesi in that group has worked so hard for two and a half years to get salary cap flexibility. And in essence, jettison picks in certain parts of the draft to get Greenard, to get Van Ginkel, to get Cashman.”

The Vikings and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are in prime posit[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]ion to make a splash in free agency, with a projected $76 million available to them. That will allow them to re-sign and extend some core players while also going out and addressing some team needs.

Bringing Darnold back makes those two goals more challenging for a franchise that has shown efficiency in player management.

Vikings made unique history on Sunday against the Jaguars

It was a weird game from all levels on Sunday.

Minnesota moved to 7-2 on the season after taking down the Jaguars in Jacksonville, 12-7. It was a unique game for the Vikings for multiple reasons. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw three interceptions and the Vikings still won the game without their star rookie kicker, Will Reichard.

But the main reason why the win was so unique was because teams were 0-147 since 2010 if they had three turnovers or more paired with zero touchdowns scored. Minnesota is the first team to win a game like this since Green Bay took down the Vikings back in 2006.

All three of Darnold’s interceptions came when he was looking toward start receiver Justin Jefferson. Darnold was locked in on his main target and forced throws his way.

But behind the leg of John Parker Romo and Brian Flores’ defense, the Vikings prevailed against a Jaguars team that was down Trevor Lawrence. Former New England quarterback Mac Jone might have helped the Vikings out as well.