Kevin O’Connell’s Bizarre Description for Sam Darnold
Coming into the 2024 season, Sam Darnold was completing less than 60% of his career passes. Did Kevin O’Connell know something that the rest of us didn’t?
After a trio of weeks, the answer would appear to be yes.
The Vikings’ head coach stepped in front of the microphone after yet another victory on Sunday. Minnesota now sits at a mighty impressive 3-0 record, overcoming a brutal team (the Giants) and a pair of strong teams (the 49ers & Texans) along the way. Darnold has been a key factor in all of these wins, so O’Connell’s description shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Per O’Connell, Darnold is operating with “surgical […] accuracy.”
Kevin O’Connell, Sam Darnold, and QB Accuracy
A bust. Most people believed that Mr. Darnold was a bust.
Back in the 2018 NFL Draft, Darnold got scooped up by the New York Jets at No. 3. Getting picked so high is both a blessing and a curse. Clearly, there’s great belief in the young QB’s potential to be a star in the NFL and yet that comes with some massive expectations. Plus, the team that’s picking 3rd has usually earned that pick; in other words, the roster is lacking in talent.
His trio of seasons as a Jet went poorly. He completed 59.8% of his passes for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions. His passer rating sat at a modest 78.6 and his QB record was 13-25.
Not great.
The Carolina days didn’t go too much better, but there may have been a modest step forward. His completion rate was sitting at 59.5% and his touchdowns/interceptions were an even 16/16. The improvement came in the win column, where he was closer to .500: 8-9 overall. His passer rating sat at 77.3 and he threw for 3,670 yards.
Of course, the conventional wisdom is that taking a backseat in San Francisco helped the talented passer. Indeed, talent has never been the issue. Playing with poise and good fundamentals were what people questioned, so learning at Kyle Shanahan’s feet was theorized as a cure.
Oh, and hopping over to Minnesota’s loaded offense that has Kevin O’Connell calling the shots was also seen as a step in the right direction. Across three games, those prophecies are looking prescient.
Darnold is 3-0 as a Viking. He is completing 67.9% of his passes for 657 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. His passer rating is sitting at 117.3, easily a career-high mark for the journeyman who is still only 27.
Back to O’Connell’s words.
The “surgical accuracy” apparently prompted Houston to adjust their strategy in the red zone. A team that likes to play man in those moments shifted into more of a zone look, as O’Connell suggests. “A team that predominantly plays a lot of man down there,” O’Connell explains, “but when you got the weapons we do and people know that Sam is going be surgical accurate, with his accuracy, you’re going to get some zone coverage.”
“Just really proud of him,” O’Connell goes on, “another day for really good quarterback play.”
Indeed, Mr. Darnold did a lot right on Sunday. He finished 17/28 for 181 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Not turning the ball over is a major deal and cashing in on all of those touchdowns is similarly vital. Overall, he did a really nice job, completing passes to six different players while targeting seven.
The O’Connell accuracy comment may strike one’s ear as being bizarre initially but it’s also accurate. Darnold really is playing wonderful football. And, notably, the game was played without WR2 Jordan Addison or TE1 T.J. Hockenson. So, the surgeon isn’t even operating with his full set of tools (so to speak).
The QB is playing on a single-season deal that’s coming in at $10 million. If he continues on his current trajectory, Darnold is going to make a lot of money in the 2025 offseason.
Next up are the Packers at Lambeau. Pulling off a win there would mean climbing to 4-0, a start that essentially no one saw coming.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
5 Takeaways from Vikings vs. Texans
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.