EAGAN, Minn. — He was signed to a one-year deal as an insurance policy of sorts, a bridge while the Minnesota Vikings develop a prized rookie QB.
But former first-round pick Sam Darnold has proved to be much more than a place-holder, leading the Vikings to an undefeated start and stirring MVP talk around the NFL.
The league is certainly on notice, and on Thursday named Darnold NFC Offensive Player of the Month.
In four September games, the Vikings signal-caller completed 73 of 106 passing attempts (68.9 percent) for 932 yards and 11 touchdowns. Darnold leads the NFL in passer rating (118.9), percentage of touchdowns per attempt (10.4 percent) and touchdown passes. He was the only quarterback to record multiple passing touchdowns in every game to start the 2024 season, including four in Week 3 against Houston and three at Green Bay in Week 4.
Most importantly, Darnold led a Vikings offense that averaged 29 points per game in September - the most of any Vikings team since 2009, when The Purple's offense managed 29.5 games over four contests.
Darnold's uphill journey to this point has been well chronicled: He was drafted third overall in the first round of the NFL draft, floundered while starting for a rag-tag Jets team, and then bounced to Carolina and San Francisco as a backup before joining the Vikings for the 2024 season as a free agent.
The Vikings put their undefeated record on the line this Sunday in London when they take on longtime nemesis Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. Here's a quick scout of the contest.
QB Aaron Rodgers. The 40-year-old Rodgers acknowledged he was banged up a bit — he received treatment during the week on a swollen left knee — after being sacked five times and hit 14 times by Denver. He failed to lead the Jets into the end zone, and there were questions after the game and during the week as to whether his cadence has caused some confusion for the offensive line.
Rodgers needs 96 passing yards to become the ninth player in NFL history with 60,000 for his career in the regular season.
QB Sam Darnold. The surprise NFL leader in passer rating (118.9) and passing touchdowns (11) is 4-0 as a starter for the first time in his seven-year career and also has his first four-game winning streak as the starter. He's not only facing a strong defense, but he'll be going against the team that drafted him third overall in 2018. Darnold went 13-25 as a starter in three mostly dismal seasons with the Jets. He had a 123.4 passer rating against the Packers, the third best of his career.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson vs. Jets CB Sauce Gardner. While the Vikings will move Jefferson all over their formations to try to maximize his opportunity and the Jets will certainly rely on more than one player to defend perhaps the league's premier pass catcher, anytime there's a one-on-one situation between these stars it ought to be worth rewinding the DVR for another look. Jefferson had seven receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets two years ago against the Jets.
Jets LB C.J. Mosley could return after missing two games with a toe injury. … DL Leki Fotu returned to practice for the Jets this week after starting the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. ... Vikings LB Ivan Pace Jr. has resumed practicing this week after missing the past two games with an ankle injury. ... Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson was scheduled to practice with the team for the first time this year in London on Friday, opening a three-week window in which he can be activated from the physically unable to perform list to complete his rehabilitation from a torn ACL and MCL.
The game marks the third time the Jets will play in London and their first since a 27-20 loss to Atlanta in 2021, which was also played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. New York beat Miami 27-14 in 2015 at Wembley Stadium. … Rodgers has played in London once before, a 27-22 loss to the New York Giants while with Green Bay in 2022. He was 25 of 39 for 222 yards and two touchdowns — including one to current Jets teammate Allen Lazard — in that game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. … Rodgers has 65,798 passing yards in regular season and postseason games. He needs 74 more to pass Dan Marino for seventh place on the NFL’s career list. … New York committed 13 penalties last week against Denver, including five false starts by the offense. … RB Breece Hall is off to a slow start with 174 yards on 56 rushes, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. He averaged 5.8 yards as a rookie in 2022 and 4.5 last season. … Rookie RB Braelon Allen is the fourth player in NFL history with 100-plus rushing yards before turning 21 years old. … The Jets held New England to 61 net passing yards in Week 3 and Denver to 60 last week in the first time in franchise history the Jets held consecutive opponents to fewer than 75 passing yards. … Jets edge rusher Will McDonald is tied for third in the NFL with five sacks, with Patrick Jones of the Vikings. ... The Vikings are 4-0 for the first time since 2016. ... The Vikings are 3-0 in London, having won there in 2013, 2017 and 2022. They beat New Orleans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022. ... Vikings RB Aaron Jones has 100-plus yards from scrimmage in eight of his past nine games including two in the playoffs last season for the Packers. ... Jefferson has a TD catch in five straight games including the 2023 finale. ... Vikings OLB Jonathan Greenard, who's second on the team with four sacks, had two sacks in his previous game against the Jets on Dec. 10, 2023, while playing for Houston. ... Vikings LB Kamu Grugier-Hill has an interception in each of the past two games after getting only three in his first 117 regular-season games. ... Vikings rookie Will Reichard is 6 for 6 on field goals and 14 for 14 on extra points.
Lazard leads the Jets with 206 receiving yards and three TDs, with No. 1 WR Garrett Wilson off to a slow start from a fantasy perspective. Lazard, who has 20 catches for 239 yards and two TDs in four games against the Vikings, was targeted by Rodgers eight times last week.