Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Sam Darnold Having Career Resurgence?
Fantasy Football Impact Former USC Trojans Sam Darnold will face a familiar opponent on Sunday, his former team the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent the 2023 season as a backup. Can Darnold get the win against his previous squad?
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold had a strong debut in Sunday’s win over the New York Giants. He found his rhythm early, becoming the third player in Vikings history to complete 12 or more consecutive passes to open a season, joining Kirk Cousins and Fran Tarkenton.
The former USC Trojans quarterback looked sharp all game, finishing 19 of 24 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and an interception with a 113.2 passer rating.
“I think for me it was coming out here and just playing my game,” Darnold said. “Playing one play at a time. Just playing with confidence,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. We’ve got a great offense, a great system. If I just play all the time and do all the things I need to do to execute, we’ll be all right.”
Darnold will face a familiar opponent on Sunday, his former team the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent the 2023 season as a backup. The 27-year-old signal-caller was able to reflect on his time in the Bay Area on Wednesday.
“I learned so much last year, just what we did every single week,’ Darnold said. “Just being able to learn every single game plan and study throughout the week. I think that was the biggest takeaway that I had. With all the different things we had to know as a quarterback going into a game. I think I learned a ton about myself last year and learned a lot about football.”
His former coach Kyle Shanahan is excited for the opportunity Darnold has in front of him.
“Yeah, I thought it was a real good spot for him,” Shanahan said. “And I was happy for him. I was hoping he’d find no good spots and come back here. But I was happy for him. He got this opportunity because Sam more than deserves it. Sam is a starting quarterback in this league and he should run with it.”
At USC, Darnold was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2016, despite not becoming the starter until week four. He led the Trojans to 52-49 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl. His 31 passing touchdowns set a school record for the most passing touchdowns by a freshman.
In 2017, Darnold led the Trojans to the Pac-12 title game, defeating Stanford 31-28 for the school’s first conference championship since 2008. He was named the game’s MVP. That season, Darnold threw for a then-school record 4,143 yards.
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