What We Learned in NFL Week 12: Sam Darnold Earns Respect by Bailing Out Vikings in Chicago

Darnold led a game-winning drive in overtime while helping Minnesota clinch a winning regular season record. Plus, the Commanders and 49ers may be in trouble.

Darnold led the Vikings (9–2) to their fourth straight win Sunday. / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Whenever football coaches sense that players aren’t buying the “any given Sunday” speeches, they can just point to the NFL Week 12 scoreboard. 

This is why we play the games, because one day the Dallas Cowboys are embarrassing themselves at home in a prime-time game and six days later they’re pulling off a bonkers road upset against the Washington Commanders.

The Houston Texans embarrassed the Cowboys last Monday night, but the dominant victory was quickly forgotten after the Tennessee Titans beat them Sunday to record only their third victory of the season. Not many expected Will Levis to outplay C.J. Stroud in the battle of second-year quarterbacks. 

The Carolina Panthers nearly had one of the biggest upsets in recent memory before the Kansas City Chiefs put together a game-winning drive to avoid overtime against Bryce Young & Co. The Minnesota Vikings couldn’t avoid overtime against the Chicago Bears, but they were bailed out by Sam Darnold, who gained plenty of respect.  

The San Francisco 49ers aren’t used to being underdogs but they certainly looked the part in an ugly blowout against the Green Bay Packers. It’s starting to look like there won't be a second half turnaround for the defending NFC champions. The Seattle Seahawks regained first place in the NFC West after handily defeating the Arizona Cardinals.  

Here’s what we learned about the Vikings, Commanders, Seahawks, Panthers and 49ers during a chaotic Sunday in the NFL.  

Darnold looks to have staying power this season

The Vikings don’t get enough credit as Super Bowl contenders, a silly downside of having Darnold as the starting quarterback. But the Vikings couldn’t care less about the Darnold haters because they improved to 9–2 after receiving a sensational performance from the often-doubted QB in Sunday’s 30–27 overtime victory against the Bears.

The week started with the internet pushing for Aaron Rodgers to play in Minnesota next year, forgetting that Darnold is in the midst of a terrific comeback season and could very well be in the Vikings’ 2025 plans even with the first-round selection of rookie J.J. McCarthy. 

Darnold (22-of-34 for 330 yards, two touchdowns) helped the Vikings build a 24–10 advantage through three quarters in Chicago and it definitely wasn’t his fault the game went into overtime after the defense allowed two touchdowns in the fourth and special teams failed to recover the Bears’ onside kick. But Darnold bailed out the Vikings with clutch throws to ignite the overtime drive, including completions of 13 yards and 20 yards to Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson, respectively.

Darnold leaned on Addison (eight catches, 162 yards, one touchdown) and T.J. Hockenson (seven catches, 114 yards) during a rare slow day for Jefferson (two catches, 27 yards), another sign for why this isn’t a fluke season for the 2018 No. 3 pick of the New York Jets. Many were ready to write off Darnold again because of back-to-back sluggish performances vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. 

Turns out, Darnold won’t be reverting to his old self because the Vikings actually have plenty of weapons for him to lean on, unlike his three seasons with the Jets. If the Vikings handle business over the next month, there will be opportunities for Darnold to gain more respect, especially if they steal the NFC North from the Detroit Lions, who improved to 10–1 by beating the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Commanders’ laundry list of problems could cost them a playoff spot 

We have reached the point where we can discuss the possibility that the Commanders’ surprising season might not include a postseason appearance because of what they showed in the 34–26 loss to the Cowboys and throughout their three-game losing streak.

First, coach Dan Quinn deserves plenty of criticism for trusting kicker Austin Seibert after missing multiple kicks only to be repaid with a brutal shank on the potential game-tying extra point following Jayden Daniels’s 86-yard connection with Terry McLaurin in the final minute of regulation. But there were lapses in all three phases, which has been the case during this three-game slide.  

The Commanders (7–5) have major problems on the defensive side and they haven’t received help from newcomer cornerback Marshon Lattimore because of a lingering hamstring injury that hasn’t allowed him to make his Washington debut since being traded by the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 5. Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush went from having two brutal performances vs. the Philadelphia Eagles and Texans to delivering a productive outing against the Commanders’ poor secondary. Washington has allowed its opponents to score 22 points or more in four consecutive games. 

Daniels (275 passing yards, 74 rushing yards, three total touchdowns and two interceptions) recovered from a rocky first half, but it shouldn’t have taken the Washington offense nearly three quarters to get going against one of the worst defenses in the league. Daniels and his offense haven’t been in sync the past month, with flat outings vs. the Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Bears. 

To make matters worse, Washington special teams allowed a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown to Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin and a 43-yard kickoff return touchdown to Juanyeh Thomas after the failed onside attempt that came seconds after Seibert’s crushing miss. 

All three phases of Washington's football team made critical mistakes during one of the wildest games of the season. But maybe the offense’s late surge could help them get out of this slump and end the losing skid. 

The Commanders now only have a half game lead for the seventh and final seed in the NFC playoff picture. They play the Titans and Saints (with a bye week in between) in two upcoming games that can’t be marked down as easy wins after what transpired Sunday. 

Macdonald has the Seahawks in first place in a crowded NFC West after they beat the Cardinals on Sunday. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

First-place Seahawks got it right with Macdonald

It might be safe to say that the Seahawks got it right with hiring coach Mike Macdonald this year. 

Macdonald’s fingerprints were all over the Seahawks’ 16–6 victory to end the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak and regain first place in the NFC West standings. The Seattle defense didn’t allow Kyler Murray and his offense to produce a touchdown and held them to 298 total yards. Murray leaned on short passes to tight end Trey McBride (12 catches, 133 yards) with an absent rushing attack that was held to 49 yards. The lack of balance didn’t allow Murray to stretch the field with Marvin Harrison Jr. (three catches, 47 yards).

Macdonald gets plenty of credit for the defensive turnaround because he’s an expert on that side of the field, but it’s also a good sign when coaches get the most out of young players. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been a star this season after a quiet rookie year. He again led the team in receiving yards after recording six catches for 77 yards and one touchdown. 

Geno Smith, however, will need to regain a rhythm with DK Metcalf (four catches, 59 yards) in order for Seattle (6–5) to maintain control of the NFC West. The Seahawks face the struggling Jets before traveling to Arizona to face Murray & Co. again. 

Panthers finally heading in right direction after pushing Chiefs

Imagine saying two months ago that Bryce Young would be dueling Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter with his Panthers on the brink of taking the back-to-back defending champions to overtime.

The future in Carolina appeared bleak after the team benched Young before Week 3 and proceeded to lose seven of its first eight games of the season. Now there’s finally hope of a legitimate foundation being established for the first time this decade because of what the Panthers displayed in the 30–27 loss vs. the Chiefs and Young’s drastic improvements the past month. 

Young, the 2023 No. 1 pick, had an impressive game-tying touchdown drive, which included a 13-yard completion to Adam Thielen on fourth-and-3 before Chuba Hubbard’s one-yard touchdown run with 1:46 left in regulation. Young finished 21-of-35 for 263 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. Mahomes went 27-of-37 for 269 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. 

Young’s numbers don’t exactly pop out of the stat sheet, but he kept many drives alive to at least put his team in scoring position—the Panthers (3–8) only punted twice and had four drives that ended with field goals. Maybe now the Panthers will realize that their poor infrastructure played a critical role in why Young had disastrous performances throughout his rookie season before losing his confidence earlier this fall.

Now that coach Dave Canales has built a productive offensive scheme in his first season in Carolina, Young has flashed the potential that made him a Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama, guiding the Panthers to back-to-back wins before the moral victory vs. the Chiefs. Staying competitive against the best teams in the league could pay off next season and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Young start many more games in Carolina. 

As for the Chiefs, they once again played down to the level of their competition, but at 10–1, they’re all about saving their best performances for the postseason. Some might overreact because the Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills last week and followed that by keeping it close with a three-win team. 

But Mahomes had an efficient performance and produced a clutch 33-yard run to set up Spencer Shrader’s game-winning 31-yard field goal as time expired. Kansas City has plenty of time to figure out how to win games without the No. 2 tight end being Mahomes’s leading pass catcher (Noah Gray had four catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns).

Brock Purdy’s value stands out as 49ers continue to show fatigue

The 49ers really missed Brock Purdy during the ugly 38–10 loss against the Packers. But even if Purdy had played, the outcome might have still been the same because the 49ers (5–6) haven’t shown any signs this season of being a playoff contender. 

Perhaps it’s time to accept that San Francisco is a middling team that is probably lucky to be in the subpar NFC West with all four teams having at least five losses. Even the route of winning the division looks bleak for a roster filled with aging stars, and it doesn’t help that the 49ers have lost at least once this season to all three of their division rivals.  

Nick Bosa is in the midst of his prime, but he wasn’t on the field to help the defense against Josh Jacobs, who recorded 106 of Green Bay’s 169 total rushing yards on Sunday. 

Backup quarterback Brandon Allen (17-of-29 for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception) failed to ignite the offense, and it didn’t help that Christian McCaffrey (11 carries for 31 rushing yards) didn’t appear to be his usual self.  The 49ers will desperately need Purdy to be cleared from his shoulder injury before facing the red-hot Bills, who will be coming off a bye week next week. 

It’s too soon to say the 49ers will miss the playoffs because of the division they play in, but not many teams will be afraid to play this version of the 49ers, who had Super Bowl aspirations heading into the season.