Vikings QB Sam Darnold Provides Unique Test for Texans

The Houston Texans will face Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in Week 3.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 20, 2024

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) scrambles against the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

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Houston Texans

The Houston Texans defense will see an unlikely opponent in Sam Darnold when they face the Minnesota Vikings.

Darnold is stepping in as the starter after No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury back in training camp. Even though he wasn't expected to start, Darnold has the Vikings rolling with a 2-0 record, including an impressive win last week against the San Francisco 49ers.

Darnold's performance has the Texans not underestimating his skills and abilities.

"I feel like he's operating that offense really efficiently, really well," Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. "I feel like they're philosophically similar to our defense, they don't do a ton, they don't do a lot of different things, but they do them well, and they kind of believe in what they are. You sort of fit into that. He's just operating that offense, and it's working really well, super-efficient on third-down and then running the ball well. Haven't been giving up, taking a lot of big negative plays, those sort of things. So, I think he's kind of at the forefront of that. Kevin [O’Connell] does a really good job with structuring the scheme. I feel like he's been really, really good at just operating that offense, and it shows so definitely a challenge to see why they're playing well.”

Darnold will hope to maintain his success from the first two weeks, but the Texans defense will be a challenge for him. The defense is coming off a seven-sack performance against the Chicago Bears, and they allowed just 13 points.

If the Texans defense plays like it did against the Bears, they could make Darnold struggle throughout the game.

Stick with TexansGameday for more coverage of the Houston Texans throughout the season.

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Published Sep 20, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.