If there was an award for signing of the year, most of us would probably think of Saquon Barkley, the running back who turned the Philadelphia Eagles into a contender for the NFL title. But there is another name that should be considered and that is Sam Darnold, quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings.
Darnold was supposed to simply be the “bridge quarterback” to buy time for rookie J.J. McCarthy, the tenth pick in the first round of the 2024 Draft and the future of the Vikings.
But no, Darnold — who many consider a bust after his poor seasons with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers — responded to the opportunity with a brilliant season: 14-2 record, 68.1 percent of completed passes, fourth in the NFL with 4,153 passing yards, fifth in touchdown passes with 35 and fifth in rating with 106.4.
Those 12 wins have Minnesota in the fight for the top seed in the NFC, which the Vikings will fight on Sunday night in Detroit against the Lions.
Darnold became the first quarterback to win 14 games in his debut season with a team and became the fourth player in history with 12 games of two or more touchdown passes and 100 or more rating points in a single season. Six of those games were on the road.
The Darnold’s dilemma
Vikings’ general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah must make a decision with Darnold as soon as his 2024 season ends, as the team signed him for only one year and $10 million. Extending his contract would mean “locking in” McCarthy for at least one more season, and leaving such a high pick on the bench is always a bad deal.
Darnold will only agree to stay in Minnesota if he is guaranteed to be the starter in 2025. Otherwise, he will prefer to test the free agency again, hoping that a potential contender team is interested in signing him.
Darnold vs. Lions
In the Week 7 game at Minnesota, Darnold completed 81.5% of his passes for 259 yards and a touchdown, for a rating of 103.5.
On defense, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel led the Vikings with two quarterback sacks, and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. scored his first career touchdown when he returned a fumble forced by safety Joshua Metellus 36 yards for a score.
To beat Detroit, they’re going to need more of the same. have won five of the last six in this rivalry, including four in a row. In fact, the Vikings are looking for their first win against the Lions since Sept. 25, 2022.
If they can, Minnesota will have its first 15-win season since 1998, when they fell one step short of playing in the Super Bowl.
Pick: Vikings 30-24 Lions
Top picks for Week 18:
| Browns @ Ravens | Over 41.5 |
| Bengals @ Steelers | Cincinnati-1.5 |
| Giants @ Eagles | New York +2.5 |
| Bears @ Packers | Green Bay -10 |
| Panthers @ Falcons | Atlanta -7.5 |
| Saints @ Buccaneers | Tampa Bay -13.5 |
| Commanders @ Cowboys | Washington -4.5 |
| Jaguars @ Colts | Indianapolis -5 |
| Texans @ Titans | Over 38.5 |
| Bills @ Patriots | Under 38.5 |
| Chiefs @ Broncos | Denver -10.5 |
| 49ers @ Cardinals | San Francisco +4 |
| Dolphins @ Jets | Miami -1 |
| Seahawks @ Rams | Seattle -6.5 |
| Chargers @ Raiders | Los Angeles -5 |
| Vikings @ Lions | Minnesota +3 |
Be ready for the 2024 NFL football season with our NFL Betting Guide and follow every NFL football game with our printable NFL schedule; available for download as a spreadsheet, Google Sheet for the entire season or get every week from Week 1 through Week 18 with free picks.
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