The MVP Chatter Is Heating Up
Entering the season, the Vikings were viewed as bottom feeders, as contenders for the first overall pick rather than postseason candidates, especially when rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered his knee injury, and the keys were handed to Sam Darnold, a veteran quarterback who had been benched numerous times by different organizations.
The MVP Chatter Is Heating Up
At least the blueprint was there as to why the time with his fourth team would be different. The Vikings have one of the top skippers in the NFL in play-caller Kevin O’Connell. A former quarterback himself, he has shown over his coaching career that he can get the best out of a quarterback.
In addition to that, the Vikings have an arsenal filled with top weapons. Justin Jefferson is the league’s top wideout, and his wingman, Jordan Addison, had a productive rookie season. Another step was expected in year two. Tight end T.J. Hockenson and running back Aaron Jones complete an exciting quartet of potential pass-catchers.
Earlier in the season, Darnold was (just like the entire team) lethal, beating opponents with ease on a weekly basis. Then, the team lost two straight, followed by a phase of close wins against poor competitors, including some Darnold stinkers.
In the past few weeks, however, Darnold has been excellent, throwing 11 touchdowns and no picks in the last four games. His performance against the Falcons with five scores (Minnesota’s first QB with five passing touchdowns in a game since Daunte Culpepper in 2004) earned him some leaguewide recognition, boosting his season total to 28 TD passes.
And folks started to enter his name into the MVP conversation. That is expected from Vikings fans, but the national media has noticed his career revival season.
Someone who is part of both groups is Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk. He wrote: “After Sunday’s five-touchdown performance from Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, my son asked a simple question: How is Jared Goff considered an MVP candidate and not Darnold? He’s right. Darnold should be a candidate, if Goff is. But while Goff’s betting odds currently land in the range of 10-1, Darnold is more like 50-1.”
Darnold’s numbers are pretty close to Jared Goff’s, especially after his five-score game. He has now thrown for more touchdowns than Detroit’s QB1.
Florio added after saying that Josh Allen and Saquon Barkley are favored: “Darnold shouldn’t be a long shot; he should be in the same general neighborhood as Goff.”
SI.com’s Vikings reporter Will Ragatz was quicker, stating during the game: “Time to put Sam Darnold in the MVP conversation, NFL world.”
Darnold has set career highs in pretty much every category. But he also has one thing that is required to get any MVP steam, and that is a good record. The Vikings are 11-2, and fair or not, the quarterback will always get the credit for that.
Sam Monson from the33rdteam tweeted: “How close are we to Sam Darnold entering the MVP conversation?”
Late in the fourth quarter, when the 11th victory of the season was sealed, the fans in the electric crowd gave him the MVP treatment.
Ex-NFL quarterback Chase Daniel listed him third, tied with Lamar Jackson and behind the aforementioned Allen and Barkley in his MVP rankings.
As long as Darnold performs the way he has in the last four games, the Vikings will be serious contenders and can beat any team in the league.
Most betting sites list him around fifth or sixth, behind Allen, Barkley, Goff, Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes, and it’s possible to find odds at about +6,500.
In Vikings record books, Darnold’s season already ranks tenth in passing touchdowns with 28. He has four more games to break Daunte Culpepper’s mark of 39. The one-year $10 million bet is working out for both the Vikings and the QB, and he will have a market in the offseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt