Can Sam Darnold’s Blitz-Busting Brilliance Shine Against Houston?
Sam Darnold has been everything that the Vikings have needed him to be in their efforts to begin their 2024 campaign at 2-0 (and Kevin O’Connell is really proud). It was somewhat expected that he would be able to take the keys to the car and drive just fine. However, not many expected him to take the car and install nitrous in it.
Not many around the NFL, let alone the Vikings fanbase, had Darnold being second in the NFL in touchdown passes through two weeks. On top of his ability to put up points through the air so far this season, “Sammy Darts” is 5th in the NFL in passer rating (111.8) and possesses the 3rd-highest yards-per-attempt average (9.5) with the 9th-highest completion percentage (72.0%).
This is all while he is the 12th-most pressured quarterback in football, being pressured on 33.3% of snaps.
General success is more than welcome at the quarterback position, but what exactly about Sam Darnold’s game could be the difference maker in Sunday’s contest against Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, Kris Boyd, and the Houston Texans?
The new pass-rushing duo of second-year man Will Anderson Jr. and former Viking Danielle Hunter has been a force through the first two weeks, generating the 2nd and 4th highest pressure rates in the league, respectively. Per NFL Pro, Will Anderson Jr. himself has the 6th-fastest average get-off time (0.75s) among qualifying edge rushers this season, which has helped lead to his T-3rd in the NFL total amount of pressures with 12, four of which came in 2.5 seconds or less of the snap.
This could pose an issue for Vikings standout left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who hasn’t performed as well as we are accustomed to seeing so far this season. Though, in fairness, his first two games of the season were full of reps against Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Nick Bosa. Anderson Jr. will pose a similar challenge, if not greater than what Darrisaw has already seen this season. In Week 2 against San Francisco, Darrisaw allowed five pressures, four of which came within 2.5 seconds or less.
So, how does this line up favorably for Sam Darnold?
The short answer is that it obviously doesn’t. Keeping the quarterback clean will always be the preferred method of going about running an offense. However, Darnold has been calm, cool, and collected during adverse situations this season.
While he is only the 28th-most blitzed QB so far in 2024, Darnold has made the opposing defense pay on every single one of his eight passes against the blitz. He has posted a perfect 8/8 for 207 yards and three touchdowns when facing additional rushers. He is the only QB in the NFL to throw for 100% against the blitz this season with at least five attempts, and his three touchdowns are tied for most in the NFL against the blitz with Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
While it is a great thing that Darnold has been spectacular when the heat on the stove is turned up a bit, it’s not as cut-and-dry as Darnold being able to perform surgery on a defense that’s selling out to sack the QB. The Texans Defense as a whole is 3rd in the NFL in pressure rate (44.4%) while blitzing only the 12th most frequently (27.8%) and fielding a standard four-man front at the 2nd-highest rate in the NFL (87%).
Long story short, the Texans create pressure without having to blitz an extreme amount. This means they can still affect the quarterback when dropping more people into coverage since they generate pressure so efficiently out of their standard defensive front.
This begs the question of Sam Darnold’s numbers when not facing a blitz. When not facing extra rushers, Sam Darnold has thrown 28/42 (66.7%), 269 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. This is another thing that isn’t as cut and dry as Darnold struggling against non-blitzing defenses; however, it’s just food for thought as to how he may perform on Sunday.
Darnold’s success against the blitz may not be the tell-all as to why he could shred the Texans’ defense on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. However, he has a real chance to continue his efficiency against a team that doesn’t need to send the house to pressure him.
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