Matthew Coller: Against the Texans, Sam Darnold was more than a 'point guard'

Darnold threw four TD passes and made several key plays to lead the Vikings' offense...

Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass for a touchdown against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

MINNEAPOLIS — Throughout the offseason, Sam Darnold talked about “playing point guard” in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. His goal was to get the ball into the hands of playmakers, stay on rhythm and not try too hard to do everything himself.

In his four-touchdown performance in a blowout win over the Houston Texans on Sunday, however, Darnold did much more than simply distribute the ball. He made a number of exceptional plays that drove the Vikings to 34 points and a 3-0 record.

The Vikings opened the game with an interception by linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, which gave them an opportunity to jump on the favored Texans. Set up with third-and-goal from the Houston 6-yard line, Darnold escaped the pocket and scrambled around until he saw Justin Jefferson break away from his defender. He flipped him the ball for an early strike to set the tone.

“Justin's [touchdown] is really an example of some off-schedule,” O’Connell said. “Great job by him not getting pushed out early in the play and working back. You guys have seen us work that drill many times in practice. And Sam's athletic ability to create off schedule is a huge weapon in the red zone. And that doesn't mean running the quarterback or RPOs. That means drop back and progress in rhythm and finding a way to get up and out and attack the defense.”

On Darnold’s second drive of the game, he was again looking to take advantage of a Texans miscue. Houston missed a 54-yard field goal, giving Darnold the ball at mid-field. He instantly hit Jefferson for an explosive 28-yard pass to get deep into Houston territory. From the Texans’ 8-yard line, Darnold dropped back, waited for RB Aaron Jones to scamper across the middle of the field and then hit him in stride for a touchdown.

Coming out of the second half, the Vikings were looking to put the game away with a three-score lead. After a pass interference call brought Darnold down to the goal line again, he made the throw that whizzed past Houston defenders and stuck in the hands of Jalen Nailor in the back of the end zone.

“That's total reset on the backside of a formation -- feet, eyes, ball, location, a thing of beauty,” O’Connell explained.

Up by 21-7 late in the third quarter, Darnold took a low hit from Danielle Hunter and struggled to walk off the field. He had to leave the game and go into the injury tent for one play. When he tossed his helmet back on and jogged out onto the field, US Bank Stadium erupted as if the Vikings had scored.

“I know Sam probably very much appreciated that,” O’Connell said.

When he came back, a touchdown pass was negated due to a Jones penalty, which pushed the Vikings back to the Houston 40-yard line. That’s in Will Reichard’s range (as we saw later in the game) but it would have made for a long field goal had Darnold not found a way to get the ball to Brandon Powell. Under duress, he was able to get enough on the football for Powell to make a grab that converted third-and-14 and set up a chip shot for the kicker.

And then in the fourth quarter, a chef’s kiss touchdown for Darnold.

Jones throttled through the Texans defense and brought the Vikings to the 1-yard line. Darnold whipped the ball into the hands of tight end Johnny Mundt to close the final curtain on any potential comeback attempt.

While it was only a 2-yard throw, O’Connell was very impressed by the way Darnold read the play perfectly.

“A play where he's getting us to the right play to start and then understanding how we've kind of talked about the motion, how it might affect the defense,” O’Connell explained. “There could be little slivers of space within the zone coverage. And he knifes his first progression right into Johnny, which I thought was a great catch in traffic.”

Through three games, Darnold is averaging 8.4 yards per attempt with eight touchdowns to only two interceptions and has a 117.3 quarterback rating. O’Connell called his game against the Texans the “full spectrum” of what he can do as a quarterback — which has been much more reflective of a dynamic quarterback than just a QB distributing to his playmakers.