Sam Darnold’s difficulties during his first five years in the NFL led to him being a backup last season with San Francisco, as he struggled to live up to his draft expectations. He’s quickly regaining his reputation in Minnesota.
Darnold threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns against his old team, including a 97-yard pass in the second quarter to Justin Jefferson. An active defense also helped the Vikings win 23-17 over the 49ers on Sunday.
“Sam has been making a lot of smart decisions. We need to keep trusting him to make those choices,” Jefferson said.
One of the key decisions was to join the Vikings, who needed an experienced player to stabilize the offense before handing it over to rookie J.J. McCarthy, who is out for the season with a knee injury.
“The work that goes into being a quarterback when everyone doubts you — we always believed in him,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “It was great to see him succeed.”
Darnold completed 17 of 26 passes with one interception for the Vikings (2-0), who also had three field goals from rookie Will Reichard and gained 146 rushing yards, their best-rushing performance (6.1 yards per attempt) in nearly three years.
Blake Cashman had 13 tackles, three passes defended, and a sack, while Patrick Jones II recorded two of the six sacks against Brock Purdy, who threw two interceptions and was constantly playing catch-up.
“We’ve got the players. We’ve got the scheme. We’ve got what it takes,” said Purdy, who went 28 for 36 for 319 yards. “It’s about executing and getting the ball to the right players.”
Despite two red zone turnovers that the 49ers (1-1) turned into touchdowns and a quadriceps injury that forced Jefferson out of the game in the third quarter, Darnold and the Vikings had a strong performance in his home debut after being a backup for Purdy last season with the NFC champions.
But as for making a statement win by a team expected to finish last in the NFC North or proving himself as a quarterback, Darnold isn’t focused on that.
“I don’t get into narratives like that,” Darnold said. “The most important thing for us is to keep taking it one day at a time.”
