EAGAN, Minn. — The Cinderella story that is Sam Darnold continues to grow with each passing week, as yards and touchdowns pile up and the Vikings keep winning.
On Wednesday the NFL named the journeyman QB its NFC Offensive Player of the Week for a head-turning performance against Atlanta that pushed Minnesota's record to 11-2. All Darnold did was complete 22 of 28 passing attempts for 347 yards and five TDs in pummeling the Falcons 42-21 and burying any regrets about the departure of Kirk Cousins.
Darnold engineered six scoring drives against Atlanta in leading Minnesota to its first 40-point performance since Week 7 of the 2019 season at Detroit (42-30). He earned a career-best 157.9 passer rating Sunday - also a Vikings Franchise record - and set the team record for the most games with a 100.0+ passer rating in a season with 11.
That tops Daunte Culpepper (2000) and Brett Favre (2009) who each notched 10 games with a 100.0+ passer rating in a single season.
Darnold is piling up awards, having previously been named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September and Nickelodeon's Valuable Player for his performance in Week 3 against the Houston Texans. His success is creating a quandary for the Vikings, who signed Darnold to a one-year deal to serve as a "bridge" QB until rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy is ready to start.
With that deal set to expire after the 2024-2025 season, Darnold will be in high demand from teams desperate to improve their quarterback situation. Some NFL insiders predict the one-time castoff could command in excess of $30 million a year, which would likely prevent him from returning to the Purple.