<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/vikings-news-sam-darnold-makes-history-heroic-performance-seahawks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Vikings’ Sam Darnold makes history in heroic performance vs. Seahawks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Vikings-news-Sam-Darnold-makes-history-in-heroic-performance-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Vikings’ Sam Darnold makes history in heroic performance vs. Seahawks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T09:57:26-08:00">December 23rd, 9:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T09:57:26-08:00">December 23rd, 9:57am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Vikings</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After selecting <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/meet-jj-mccarthy-vikings-no-10-pick-2024-nfl-draft">JJ McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft</a>, had you told Minnesota Vikings fans that it would be Sam Darnold leading the team into the final weeks of the season, they would’ve likely assumed that something had gone terribly wrong.</p><p>In reality, losing McCarthy to a torn meniscus over the summer may have been something of a blessing in disguise, because it opened the door for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-news-justin-jefferson-compares-minnesota-lsu-championship">Vikings to become bonafide, can’t-deny-it-anymore Super Bowl contenders</a>, thanks in large part to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-news-sam-darnolds-nfl-mvp-odds-dominant-3-0-start">stunning MVP campaign from a journeyman quarterback</a> who had never once been considered an MVP candidate at any point during his less-than-stellar seven-year career.</p><p>On Sunday, Darnold turned in what was maybe his finest performance of the season, throwing for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns, one of which came with under four minutes to go to give Minnesota a 27-24 win that allowed the Vikings to keep pace with the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions. In the win, Darnold <a href="https://www.si.com/college/usc/football/minnesota-vikings-sam-darnold-chicago-bears-win-satisfied-usc-trojans-nfl-playoffs-nfc-north" rel="noopener">made all kinds of history</a> that only strengthens an improbable and unexpected MVP resume.</p><p>Per Kyron Samuels of Sports Illustrated, Sam Darnold joins Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos) and Steve McNair (Baltimore Ravens) as the quarterback with the most wins in their first season with a new team. With two games remaining, Darnold could end up breaking that record. Additionally, after a nearly flawless performance against the Seahawks, Darnold now holds the NFL record for the most games (12) with a 100.0 or more passer rating in a player’s first season with a team.</p><p>After Sunday’s win, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell emphasized that the Vikings offense, “has become Sam’s offense,” (<a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43119403/justin-jefferson-agrees-vikings-championship-caliber-likens-2019-lsu-tigers-title-team" rel="noopener">h/t</a> Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com). Earlier this month, All-Pro wide receiver <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-rumors-vikings-more-open-minded-sam-darnold-future">Justin Jefferson lauded Darnold’s ability to “take the top off of defenses,”</a> and allow for the “whole playbook” to be open. On Sunday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-news-justin-jefferson-compares-minnesota-lsu-championship">Jefferson compared this Vikings team to the 2019 LSU Tigers squad</a> he was on that rampaged to a National Title.</p><p>Whether this run can continue deep into January, or potentially even February, remains to be seen. But if it does, Darnold will deserve all of the credit that will come his way.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Vikings’ Sam Darnold makes history in heroic performance vs. Seahawks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/vikings-news-sam-darnold-key-role-josh-mccown-played-breakout-campaign');   ga('set', 'title', 'Vikings’ Sam Darnold reveals key role Josh McCown has played in breakout campaign');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/0Sam-Darnold-reveals-key-role-Josh-McCown-has-played-in-breakout-campaign0.jpg"></figure><h1>Vikings’ Sam Darnold reveals key role Josh McCown has played in breakout campaign</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T08:39:10-08:00">December 20th, 8:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T08:39:10-08:00">December 20th, 8:39am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Vikings</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>To the shock of many, quarterback Sam Darnold’s play has the Minnesota <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-nightmare-scenario-2024-nfl-playoff-seeding-matchups">Vikings poised to make a deep playoff run</a>. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-sam-darnold-drops-business-like-revelation-on-clinching-playoff-berth">Darnold’s breakout season</a> didn’t appear out of thin air.</p><p>Of course, he had to put in the work and prove he can still be a starting quarterback in the NFL. But Darnold didn’t do it alone, leaning on quarterbacks coach Josh McCown <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43064735/nfl-vikings-josh-mccown-sam-darnold-offensive-coordinator" rel="noopener">for trusted advice</a>, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.</p><p>“He’s been great,” Darnold said of McCown. “Just the way that – even when I first got here in OTAs – we’ve been able to learn the system together. And talk about gameplan and grow in it at the same time. It’s been a great journey so far.”</p><p>“He’s been a great coach to be able to lean on where situations aren’t necessarily going my way, and he’s also there when things are getting good, just to remind me of my fundamentals and what I’ve got to do to continue good quarterback play.”</p><p>McCown is in his year year as the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach after serving in the same role with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. His foray into coaching came after a 16-year NFL career on his own. It didn’t come with any Super Bowls or Pro Bowl appearances. But McCown is a respected mind and a newfound quarterback whisperer.</p><p>His tutelage has helped Sam Darnold reach once unthinkable career heights. Over 14 games, Darnold has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,530 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He ranks fifth in passing touchdowns and sixth in passing yards. Furthermore, if the regular season were to end after Week 16, Darnold has already set new career-highs across the board.</p><p>Alongside all of his counting stats, Darnold has the Vikings at 12-2. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot and are looking to take over the NFC North. All of that doesn’t happen without Sam Darnold finally realizing his first-round potential.</p><p>What happens after this season is still up in their air, the Vikings need to make a decision on their quarterback’s long-term future. However, it’s clear that Darnold-McCown connection has been a success. Perhaps Minnesota doesn’t want to mess up the mojo heading into 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Vikings’ Sam Darnold reveals key role Josh McCown has played in breakout campaign

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/vikings-sam-darnold-drops-business-like-revelation-on-clinching-playoff-berth');   ga('set', 'title', 'Vikings’ Sam Darnold drops business-like revelation on clinching playoff berth');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Sam-Darnold-drops-business-like-revelation-on-clinching-playoff-berth.jpg"></figure><h1>Vikings’ Sam Darnold drops business-like revelation on clinching playoff berth</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T08:06:25-08:00">December 17th, 8:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T08:06:25-08:00">December 17th, 8:06am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Vikings</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Vikings clinched a playoff berth on Sunday due to the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, and Sam Darnold revealed how <a href="https://x.com/SeifertESPN/status/1868886878440899027" rel="noopener">players on the team reacted</a> to the news as they prepared for their Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears.</p><p>Darnold said that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-news-aaron-jones-fans-spider-man-celebration-milestone-touchdown">some Vikings players</a> were together Sunday night when it officially happened, but there was no celebration. It was just a five-minute chat, and then they moved on, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-news-aaron-jones-nostradamus-after-training-camp-message-mom-revealed">The Vikings had</a> a game the next night, and they took care of business against the Chicago Bears, beating them by the score of 30-12 to move to 12-2 on the season. After securing a spot in the NFC Playoffs, now the Vikings will focus on trying to win the NFC North division title. They are tied with the Detroit Lions atop the division, who hold the tiebreaker due to the win against the Vikings earlier in the season.</p><p>It has been a surprising season for the Vikings, especially Darnold, who has been a journeyman in his career. With how he has performed, along with the Vikings losing Christian Darrisaw for a large part of the season, Kevin O’Connell is perhaps the frontrunner for the Coach of the Year award.</p><h2><b>How can Vikings secure NFC North title?</b></h2><p>The Vikings’ road ahead is simple, if they win their remaining three games on the schedule, they are the NFC North champions. However, that will not be easy, as their last three games are against the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Lions. Minnesota has a chance to set up a winner-take-all for the division against the Lions in the last week of the season.</p><p>If Minnesota does end up winning the NFC North, it could also be in the running for the top seed in the NFC, competing with the Philadelphia Eagles for that spot. Regardless, the Vikings are in a great spot at 12-2 and have a chance to continue to surprise in the final three games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Vikings’ Sam Darnold drops business-like revelation on clinching playoff berth

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/vikings-news-sam-darnold-baker-mayfield-comparisons-questions');   ga('set', 'title', 'Vikings’ Sam Darnold draws Baker Mayfield comparisons, but there are questions');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Vikings-news-sam-Darnold-draws-Baker-Mayfield-comparisons-but-there-are-questions.jpg"></figure><h1>Vikings’ Sam Darnold draws Baker Mayfield comparisons, but there are questions</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-16T11:54:32-08:00">December 16th, 11:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-16T11:57:01-08:00">December 16th, 11:57am</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Vikings</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Sam Darnold finds himself in an interesting situation with the Minnesota Vikings, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-news-kevin-oconnell-fun-daniel-jones-truth-bomb">who have Daniel Jones on the practice squad</a> along with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-rumors-vikings-more-open-minded-sam-darnold-future">J.J. McCarthy on the injured list</a>. Darnold has drawn Baker Mayfield comparisons, but there are questions about his future with the Vikings.</p><p>Darnold’s situation is similar to that of Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield, who signed a one-year, $4 million contract to compete for the Buccaneers’ starting job in 2023. Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns that season and led the Buccaneers to the divisional round of the playoffs. Earlier this year, he re-signed for three years and $100 million. Will Darnold get that kind of deal?</p><p>Mayfield has turned in another strong season, tied — with Darnold — for third in the NFL with 28 touchdown passes. Mayfield is fourth with 3,329 yards for a Bucs team that appears headed for the playoffs again.</p><h2><b>Vikings QB Sam Darnold having impressive season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Minnesota-Vikings-QB-Sam-Darnold.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Krohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Darnold has likely changed opinions across the NFL, giving him a wide variety of options across the league if he becomes a free agent. However, there is a big question. Is Darnold excelling because of head coach Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings’ talented receivers? One NFL executive brought <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/42982044/nfl-vikings-sam-darnold-free-agent-jj-mccarthy-daniel-jones" rel="noopener">that question to light</a>, according to espn.com.</p><p>“What’s Darnold doing versus what’s the product of the (Vikings’ system)?” the executive said. “The first half of the season he’s playing with a lead every game. Now their games have gotten stickier and he’s doing more. That could be a trend.”</p><h2><b>Darnold’s numbers hard to ignore</b></h2><p>Darnold has thrown for 3,299 yards this season with a serious 28-to-10 TD-to-interception ratio. However, first and foremost, his record of 11-2 heading into Monday night’s game against the Bears stood out the most. Darnold bounced back strongly from a recent poor game against Jacksonville. But he <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/matthew-coller-sam-darnold-s-rise-starts-with-the-simple-things-01jf7yqky0jq" rel="noopener">proved his worth</a>, according to O’Connell’s comments via Sports Illustrated.</p><p>“I think there can be incredible growth in moments where, maybe on the outside, it seemed leaving Jacksonville like there’s something really wrong,” O’Connell said. “Sam’s going back in Monday morning and, based upon a lot of things that Josh (McCown), Grant (Udinski), and myself talked to him about, almost self-coaching. ‘If I just have better feet there or I don’t know why my eyes were there.’ (It) was an incredible growth moment for him to just come back the next week and start stacking some things.”</p><p>Furthermore, Darnold said he’s comfortable in O’Connell’s offense.</p><p>“The thing that I talk about all the time is the amount of time we’ve put into this offense since April, we’ve been running very similar concepts even during the season that we’ve been running since then,” Darnold said. “So just the comfort level that I have with those play-action passes to be able to go run them in games very seamlessly and go find completions no matter where they are, whether they’re 5 yards down the field or 50 yards down the field.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Vikings’ Sam Darnold draws Baker Mayfield comparisons, but there are questions

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl-rumors-vikings-more-open-minded-sam-darnold-future');   ga('set', 'title', 'NFL rumors: Vikings now more ‘open-minded’ about Sam Darnold’s future');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NFL-rumors-Vikings-now-more-open-minded-about-Sam-Darnolds-future.jpg"></figure><h1>NFL rumors: Vikings now more ‘open-minded’ about Sam Darnold’s future</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-16T09:20:24-08:00">December 16th, 9:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-16T09:20:24-08:00">December 16th, 9:20am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Vikings</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Coming into the 2024 season, all Minnesota Vikings fans could’ve hoped for was that the after moving on from 35-year-old Kirk Cousins in the offseason, the franchise had found their quarterback of the future. That guy was supposed to be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/meet-jj-mccarthy-vikings-no-10-pick-2024-nfl-draft">JJ McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft</a> and a National Champion at the University of Michigan. However, a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-news-jj-mccarthy-injury-timeline">mid-August meniscus tear ended McCarthy’s rookie year before it began</a>, paving the way for Sam Darnold to step in become <i>that guy. </i></p><p>Despite being in the NFL since 2018, Darnold is still only 27 years old, which means conceivably, his best football could still be ahead of him. And if the 2024 season is any indication, it’s that those who wrote Darnold off after a disappointing three-year tenure with the New York Jets made up their minds prematurely, because in Minnesota, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sam-darnolds-mvp-odds-shoot-up-amid-hot-start">former 3rd overall pick is playing MVP caliber football</a>… and forcing the Minnesota Vikings to reevaluate his future with the team in the process.</p><p>According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, the Vikings decision-makers — presumably head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — are now <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/42982044/nfl-vikings-sam-darnold-free-agent-jj-mccarthy-daniel-jones" rel="noopener">open-minded about Darnold returning</a> to Minnesota for the 2025 season and beyond. What that means for JJ McCarthy remains to be seen. But for Darnold, it could mean he gets his wish of continuing to play for the Minnesota Vikings.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“There’s no other place I’d rather play. Just so grateful to be a Viking.”</p><p>Sam Darnold after the biggest comeback of his career with the <a href="https://twitter.com/Vikings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Vikings</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SKOL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SKOL</a> <a href="https://t.co/3v3WYC4quB">pic.twitter.com/3v3WYC4quB</a></p><p>— NFL on FOX Podcast (@NFLonFOXPod) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLonFOXPod/status/1863337302434644337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>It’s not just Darnold who is speaking like an extended stay with the Vikings is in the cards. Coaches and teammates alike have praised the seven-year veteran for his performance this season.</p><p>“He’s playing so well, and he’s so rooted in the moment,” O’Connell told Seifert. Perhaps nobody’s endorsement is more important than that of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/vikings-news-justin-jefferson-nfl-history-titans">Justin Jefferson, the record-setting wide receiver</a> who is closing in on a fourth All-Pro selection with Darnold throwing his way.</p><p>“He definitely has that strong arm to just be able to fit those throws into tight windows and just be able to run those deep throws and be able to take the top off defenses,” Jefferson said of Darnold. “Those are things that defenses got to respect. We feel like the whole playbook is kind of open toward Sam being able to throw it all across the field.”</p><p>Darnold and the Vikings are 11-2 and in good position to catch the banged-up Detroit Lions in the NFC North. A Week 18 matchup in Detroit could end up deciding the division, and who ends up with the top seed in the NFC heading into the Playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024 SEASON STATS
PASSING YDS	PASSING TDS	INTERCEPTIONS	POSITION RANK
6445.6	54.6	18.8	7

2024 SEASON STATS
PASSING YDS	PASSING TDS	INTERCEPTIONS	POSITION RANK
6445.6	54.6	18.8	7

Sam
Darnold

2022 Projected vs Actual Pts

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NFL rumors: Vikings now more ‘open-minded’ about Sam Darnold’s future