The pocket was often collapsing around veteran quarterback Sam Darnold last weekend. The fact that he was able to work under those conditions played a major role in the Vikings walking away with a 23-13 win over the Tennessee Titans.
That’s why head coach Kevin O’Connell went out of his way to praise Darnold earlier this week after rewatching the game.
“I thought he played a fantastic football game,” O’Connell said. “I watched the tape, and it confirmed a lot and then some about his above the line play that maybe covered up some other things.”
There was a particular play during which Darnold stepped up to escape the interior pressure, pirouetted toward the sideline to avoid a sack, and got his eyes back downfield before throwing a strike to receiver Trent Sherfield Sr.
Not long after that, Darnold flashed his mobility yet again, sticking his foot in the ground, sprinting out to his left to buy a couple of extra seconds, and dropping a dime to star receiver Justin Jefferson.
The ability to create off schedule came up a couple of weeks ago when a reporter suggested that his athleticism might sneak up on opposing teams. That prompted a laugh from Darnold before he answered the question.
“Everybody says that,” Darnold said. “I can make them pay every now and then.”
The misconception doesn’t bother him. Not in the slightest. He actually welcomes it.
“It’s great,” Darnold said. “I’ll keep sneaking up on teams.”
Though he has long been known for his incredible arm talent, Darnold has always been able to use his legs as a weapon. He has racked up 926 yards on the ground in his NFL career and once even rushed for a 46-yard touchdown.
“I don’t think before I started watching the tape I was aware of how athletic he really is,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “He’s able to escape and accelerate and pull away from defensive lineman. You saw some long scrambles on his tape. You have to be aware that he had some speed.”
That was on display last weekend with the Vikings playing the Titans. Even if star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and rookie defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat were disruptive up front, Darnold used his speed to counteract the push up the middle.
The next step for Darnold is finding a balance and not relying on his legs too much.
“On a few of the plays later in the game I thought I was a little bit too eager to kind of get out and make a play,” Darnold said. “I could have sat in there and delivered the ball on time.”
As much as he appreciates that type of self reflection, O’Connell didn’t have many complaints about Darnold when looking back on his performance.
“He played grea,t so hopefully it’s something consistently that we see moving forward,” O’Connell said. “When he plays like that, regardless of how things are going in other phases of our offense, we’re going to make enough plays to give our team a chance to win the game.”
Briefly
On the injury report, the Vikings listed tight end Josh Oliver (wrist/ankle) as a non participant, while Darnold (foot) and defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard (toe) were listed as limited participants.
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