Inside The Vikings

Bill Belichick says 'everybody has liked Darnold except the Jets'

Belichick also said nobody is looking past the Vikings after an impressive start to the season.

Joe Nelson

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) reacts after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) reacts after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
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Bill Belichick went 38-11 in his coaching career with the Patriots against the Jets but he's not done shoveling dirt on them yet. On Monday, Belichick was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show and said "everybody" has liked quarterback Sam Darnold "except the Jets."

The Jets drafted Darnold with the third overall pick in 2018. Darnold was infamously "seeing ghosts" in a blowout loss to Belichick's Patriots as a rookie and he struggled while surrounded by mediocrity before the Jets punted Darnold to the Carolina Panthers in 2020. While Darnold had more downs than ups with struggling teams in Carolina, the Panthers apparently liked him quite a bit.

"I'll say this, everybody has liked Darnold except the Jets. The people at Carolina that I talked to, they really liked him," Belichick said. "I know that [Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell] and some of the coaches in Minnesota, they really liked this guy, too. So it seemed like the only people that didn't like Darnold were at the Jets."

Belichick got the 49ers and Rams confused when talking about Darnold, but it was clear that he meant to say the 49ers wanted to re-sign Darnold but Darnold wanted an opportunity to play more, which led him to a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings.

The results through three weeks are elite. Darnold is rocking a 117.3 passer rating while leading the league in passing touchdowns with eight. If this keeps up, not only will Darnold be preparing to sign a lucrative contract, but the Vikings might have to make a big decision about who to go forward with in 2025: Darnold or J.J. McCarthy, whose rookie season ended when he underwent surgery to repair a torn MCL in August.

That hypothetical will play out in due time, but in the moment the Vikings look like a contender and Belichick agrees.

"Definitely got be on the lookout for them. It'll be interesting to see how they can sustain this. I've always said that it's a lot easier to get to the top than it is to stay on the top," Belichick said. "I don't think anybody's looking past Minnesota, not that they were before, but I don't think anybody's looking past them now."

It's not just Darnold playing well. Minnesota's defense shut down the Giants and Texans and limited to the 49ers. They're allowing just 10 points per game and they are the first defense since 2001 to have at least five sacks in three straight games to start the season.

C.J. Stroud had only thrown five career interceptions before coming to U.S. Bank Stadium and he left with two more as the Vikings sacked him five times and made him look pedestrian. Why did he struggle so much against Minnesota?

"Well, they got multiple looks. Multiple looks, they're always tough on a young quarterback," Belichick explained. "Minnesota did a good job of that. Minnesota's a team that's very good playing from ahead. They have multiple blitzers, good coverage package, good pressure package, so if they can get ahead and play from ahead that puts a lot of stress on the opponent's pass protection and offensive execution of the passing game."

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Joe Nelson

JOE NELSON

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