Matthew Coller: Sam Darnold is proving to be unshakable

Everything could have come apart for the Vikings in OT vs. Chicago but Darnold stepped up and now the Vikings are 9-2...

Nov 24, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) passes the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

CHICAGO — The final two minutes of regulation were a total calamity for the Minnesota Vikings and Sam Darnold couldn’t do anything other than stand on the sideline and watch.

After converting a third-and-12 pass for 34 yards to TJ Hockenson to set the Vikings up for a field goal to go up 27-16, it looked like the Vikings QB would be able to put on his ballcap and start thinking of who he wanted to thank in his postgame press conference.

And then the Chicago Bears returned a kick for 55 yards. And then they scored a touchdown with 22 seconds left. And then converted the 2-point conversion

OK, just recover the onside kick and Darnold gets to soak up another W in the winningest season of his career.

Nope. The Bears recovered the onside kick, completed a 27-yard pass and kicked a game-tying field goal.

The Vikings defense got a stop to give Darnold a shot to win it but getting into field goal range was going to take some work.

In the huddle, Darnold reminded his teammates to be clear about their assignments.

“He came in the huddle and he was like, ‘one play at a time boys, and no matter what happens, we move onto the next play,’” running back Aaron Jones said. “If there’s something you see, talking about it but don’t stick on that one play too long, just move onto the next one.”

That’s exactly what Darnold was forced to do. The drive started at the 21-yard line and then he took a 7-yard sack to start the drive. ESPN’s Gamecast gave the Bears a 63% chance to win the game at that moment. But Darnold didn’t stick on that one play. He completed a 7-yard pass to TJ Hockenson and then found Jordan Addison on third down for a conversion that gave the Vikings a 60% chance to win.

“I had no hesitation about trying to attack,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said.

“We had some negative plays but Sam was able to get us back on track,” Hockenson said. “The guy is absolutely how he is every single snap. He’s cool, calm, collected. That’s what you want as the leader of the huddle.”

Things didn’t exactly come easily for Darnold after that. Tight end Johnny Mundt committed a false start setting them back to first-and-15. Darnold erased that instantly with a 20-yard throw to Justin Jefferson for a first down.

On the next play, Darnold scrambled for seven yards but it came back due to a holding penalty. First-and-20.

He erased that too. The Vikings quarterback waited in the pocket for Hockenson to come open on a long-developing route and then layered the ball over a defender into his hands for a 29-yard gain setting up the game-ending field goal.

“Their linebackers were playing off a lot and I was able to move them a little bit,” Hockenson explained. “They are playing a lot of cover-2 for Jets [Jefferson]. They’re making sure he’s not going to wreck game game and we’re going to make the most of our opportunities when we can.”

Parker Romo booted the final kick through and Darnold could put the hat back on and walk into a 9-2 locker room.

“It was the most poise I’ve probably ever seen,” Jones said.

Inside the room following the game, teammates raved about his calmness through some rocky moments.

“He didn’t skip a beat,” guard Dalton Risner said. “That’s all you can ask from these guys who lead your team. He’s a dawg. He wasn’t nervous. He wasn’t scared….we answered when we needed to answer.”

“He just stays right here,” Risner continued, using his hand to demonstrate evenness. “Some QBs are really emotional and they are up here, down here. He just stays right here through the good and the bad. Even when he has a game like that and gets a game ball, he still stays [even].”

Resilience is becoming a trend for Darnold. There have been numerous occasions this year where he was able to fight back from miscues or put teams away with late drives. This time he had to do it with a foot injury that caused him to leave the game for a play. O’Connell noted that he still called a bootleg that required Darnold to move despite the fact he had just been briefly sidelined.

“His toughness and persistence throughout the game and really throughout the season deserves more credit than what he’s getting,” backup QB Nick Mullens said. “I can’t speak highly enough about the toughness that Sam has displayed.”

O’Connell talked postgame about identifying Darnold’s toughness as a quarterback years ago when he evaluated him coming out in the draft.

“Years and years ago, Cotton Bowl against Ohio State, it sounds crazy, but I remember watching that game with (Saints DE) Chase Young and (49ers DL) Nick Bosa basically hitting him on every single play,” O’Connell said. Had a ton of drop-back attempts and tried to will his team. They didn't end up winning the game, but I learned everything I needed to know then about his toughness and his makeup to be willing to stare down some real pressure every single snap you drop back. I think he's a mentally tough guy. I think he's a physically tough guy.”

The last two weeks have been particularly important in terms of Darnold’s toughness and resilience because the possibility existed for Darnold to slip after throwing three interceptions against the Jaguars. Instead he has played his best football of the season on the road against defenses with a lot of talent.

“I really do think it's as simple as that, and just not trying to do too much,” Darnold said. “If I feel like a play, I've got to scramble out of the pocket and it's not there, just throw it away, or sometimes if I need to take a sack, I'm willing to do that. Just continue to play within the system, within the game, and we'll continue to play solid as an offense.”

His excellence in the waning moments might outweigh possibly his best overall performance of the year versus a defense that entered with the 7th best QB rating allowed in the NFL. Darnold completed 22 of 34 passes for 330 yards and threw two touchdowns. ESPN’s QBR rated it as his biggest game of the season and the sixth showing of his career.

“Show me somebody that had a better game at the quarterback position,” O’Connell said. “That kind of game under those circumstances on the road in the NFC North.”

Fueling Darnold’s big day was Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson taking full advantage of the Bears selling out to stop Jefferson. Addison had 162 yards on eight receptions and Hockenson made seven grabs for 114 yards. That’s 15 catches for 274 yards on 18 targets.

“JA had a huge game,” Darnold said. “His ability to just stay ready, stay prepared whenever his number is called, (TE) T.J. (Hockenson), the same thing. I felt T.J. had a really good game today. Just his ability when he's out there, he gets guys open. The defense is so locked into him at certain points in the game, whether it's 2nd and long, 3rd down, even 1st down at times, so his ability to just continue to stay with it and continue to show that resiliency, even throughout the game when he's not getting touches.”

It’s easier to play quarterback with a strong running game and Jones gained 106 yards on the ground and 23 yards through the air.

“The credit goes to the blocking unit up front — the O-line along with the tight ends and receivers, they were just dominating the line of scrimmage and when you’re dominating you can pick and choose which hole you want to go through and you have space and you’re setting up the runs and getting defenders where you want them to go,” Jones said.

The Vikings complete offensive effort also included protecting Darnold well up front despite Cam Robinson getting injured early in the game.

For the season, Darnold now has 2,717 yards, 21 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and a 101.7 quarterback rating. He has a chance to lead the Vikings down the stretch versus a group of opponents who will be scrapping for playoff position. That’s a spot where he’s rarely been during his career but he has proven more and more as the season goes along that he isn’t just along for the ride, rather he’s leading the charge.

“I think he's confident in the guys around him, and I think he's confident in our system,” O’Connell said. “When he just continues to play quarterback at a high level, I think we're a tough team. I really do. Playing quarterback at a high level might just be simply feet, eyes, rhythm, and letting kind of the play dictate and the coverage and putting the ball in play. He's done a really nice job two weeks in a row of that.”