QB analyst on Sam Darnold's Vikings' debut: 'Lots to be excited about'

J.T. O'Sullivan analyzed Darnold's Minnesota debut on his YouTube channel "The QB School."

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) rolls out to pass against the New York Giants during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

Mark former Vikings quarterback and current YouTube QB analyst J.T. O'Sullivan among those left impressed by Sam Darnold's Minnesota debut.

In the latest video on his YouTube channel The QB School, O'Sullivan analyzed Darnold's tape from the Vikings' 28-6 win over the Giants, saying he looked "polished" and that there were "a lot of positives."

Darnold opened up his Vikings career by connecting on the first 12 passes of the game as the Vikings jumped out to a 14-3 lead. Early in the game, Darnold tried to connect with Jordan Addison on a deep pass, but the Vikings' receiver was impeded as he tried to come back for the ball, leading to a pass interference call.

In reviewing the first quarter throw, O'Sullivan praised Darnold's decisiveness.

"My own interest in this, was just watching to see if there was some sort of like 'Purdy learning' for Darnold. Where he can just see how decisive Purdy plays, to see if he can translate some of that to his game. And I think this is an early indication, let your guys eat," said O'Sullivan.

Darnold spent the 2023 season as the backup to 49ers QB Brock Purdy, after five subpar seasons as a starter for the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.

Early in the second quarter, Darnold connected with Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson on a 44-yard pass down the left sideline. The pass was one of the key highlights in the game, showing off Darnold's arm talent as he dropped the ball in a bucket to Jefferson.

"It is a beautiful throw. It is a dot of a throw. This is Sam Darnold at his best," O'Sullivan said of the throw. "An excellent job by Darnold, trusting Justin Jefferson to do, basically be Justin Jefferson. ... That's an outstanding football play. That's a very special wide receiver and that is an excellent throw. You can see the arm talent here. I like the decisiveness. Give us a chance and throw a dot."

Two plays later, Darnold connected with Addison on a comeback route for 16 yards that brought the Vikings deep into New York territory.

"Sam looks good here," said O'Sullivan. "He's driving the ball down field. We're being aggressive. He looks decisive. The ball is coming out on time. Hitch, throw, take a big shot, that's a nice chunk."

Darnold connected with Addison again the following play to get the Vikings in the red zone, with O'Sullivan once again praising Darnold's decisivness and even offering a Purdy comparison.

"I really like the timing, the decisiveness. If you squint it, it has some Purdy-vibes here, it really does," O'Sullivan said. "Just early on, when you look at things that carry, what'd he learn? The decisiveness. The anticipation. It looks really good."

With the Vikings holding a significant lead late in the first half, the offense sputtered a bit, which provided some areas for O'Sullivan to critique the play of Darnold. In a late second quarter play, Darnold nearly threw an interception as he tried to fire a ball into Brandon Powell over the middle in triple coverage. O'Sullivan pointed out that Darnold had gone through his progressions quickly, missing an open Josh Oliver for an easy short gain.

"You just can't have that panic, late, potential disaster there in the middle of the field," O'Sullivan said when looking at the near interception.

Darnold opened up the third quarter by extending the lead, connecting on a 21-yard pass to Jalen Nailor that put the Vikings up by 17 points. O'Sullivan praised the play design that used Jefferson as a decoy in the backfield, which opened up the space for Nailor in the end zone.

"Being aggressive down the field, combined with really nice play calling, simple stuff. Sam's able to execute," said O'Sullivan. Darnold earned praise for being able to connect on the throw even though he had pressure bearing down on him. O'Sullivan said the throw was "big time" and that Darnold showed "no fear."

Later in the third, Darnold failed to connect with Jefferson on a pass down the left sideline that was thrown into double coverage. Despite the missed connection, O'Sullivan praised Darnold again for being decisive and for "finding ways to get (Jefferson) the ball."

The lone sour spot on Darnold's stat line was a third quarter interception that came off a floating ball down the middle after Dexter Lawrence bulldozed Garrett Bradbury and swatted Darnold's arm mid-throw. O'Sullivan placed more blame on receiver Trent Sherfield Jr., who attempted to try to catch the deflected ball instead of swatting it down.

"This should not be intercepted. We got to be a better football player out there and make sure that the defense doesn't get that thing, and at least knock it down," said O'Sullivan.

Darnold missed an opportunity to extend a drive early in the fourth quarter when he skipped a pass to Jefferson on a third-and-4 play. The Vikings QB faced pressure from Lawrence, who beat a double team by Bradbury and Ed Ingram and forced Darnold to rush his throw.

"You can really see, kind of, the internal pressure the Vikings were dealing with all day," noted O'Sullivan. "Not easy to play quarterback when you're getting guys walked in and guys beating double teams on the right, with the center and the right guard."

"This would be the only thing, walking away from this game, that you're just a little nervous about with Darnold. There were a few times where it looked like things got a little panic-y, a little late," O'Sullivan said. "It didn't cost him a disaster in this game but you could see how, potentially, late over the middle, ball doesn't come out exactly as it should, on time. You could potentially get into some issues. But overall, outstanding day."

O'Sullivan was impressed by Darnold's debut, noting there is plenty "to be excited about."

"Thought there were a lot of positives," he said. "Thought Sam looked super polished, decisive, accurate. Looked like he was in command, knew exactly what to do with the ball. All really good things. Felt like the plan in general was really strong. There were a number of really nice opportunities — whether it was third down, chunks, big plays down the sideline, pushing the ball outside the numbers, playing with anticipation. The only thing that maybe crept in there a few times was maybe being a little late down the field or, for whatever reason, not quite getting through those full-field reads, which is not easy to do."

O'Sullivan spent nine seasons in the NFL, starting eight games. He was with the Vikings in 2005. He now analyzes QBs on his YouTube channel, which has grown to nearly 350K subscribers.