1 day Ago By Andrew Kusleika, Gridiron Heroics
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has led his new team to a 2-0 start with one of those wins coming against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. Darnold has played some of the best football in his career during the early portion of the 2024 season, which comes as a surprise to the NFL world as Darnold has struggled to gain his footing in the NFL since being drafted ahead of the 2028 season. Minnesota Vikings DT Harrison Phillips knew QB Sam Darnold would have a career resurgence Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips told NFL insider Ian Rapoport on “The Insiders” that he knew Darnold would give the Vikings a chance to have success.
Phillips was already familiar with Darnold after going up against him and his USC Trojans in the Pac-12 as a standout defensive lineman for the Stanford Cardinal . Me: Did you see Sam Darnold’s emergence coming? #Vikings DT Harrison Phillips: “I’m going to be honest with you..
. I really did.” pic.
twitter.com/eZZQRVjKg7 — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2024 Darnold was the signal caller for the Trojans in 2016 and 2017 but only played a full game against Stanford twice in 2017. Darnold was 2-0 against the Cardinal, throwing for over 300 yards in both games.
Darnold threw for six touchdowns and two interceptions in his two full games against Stanford while completing 37 of his 50 passes. Phillips stood out as a crucial member of the Cardinal defense in those matchups, amassing 11 tackles and 13 tackles from the interior defensive line. Phillips also helped bring Darnold down in the Pac-12 Conference Championship Game.
Phillips isn’t the only one who saw “untapped potential” in Darnold ahead of the 2024 season. A report from Jeremey Fowler on SportsCenter said that the Vikings organization saw just that, per a Sports Illustrated article. “The Vikings believe that there is untapped potential here.
There’s a lot of ability. He’s never had a supporting cast quite like this,” NFL reporter Jeremey Fowler reported on SportsCenter . “They believe he can not only start games but potentially thrive if everything goes well.
” Darnold is hoping to continue his hot start and improve upon his 111.8 passer rating through two games. Along with his passer rating, Darnold’s 72% completion rate is sitting well above his career best.
If he can keep it up with the return of pass-catchers like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, Darnold could have himself a career year.
This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission..
