Sam Darnold‘s 97-yard touchdown connection with Justin Jefferson in their Week 2 win represents a potential of the Minnesota Vikings offense that was unrealized with Kirk Cousins, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms argues.
Simms reacted to the Vikings’ 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers on September 15, noting that Darnold, who has led the Vikings to their first 2-0 start since 2016, can unlock a new level of the Vikings offense.
“He’s got more potential to make that Minnesota offense look good than Kirk Cousins did. He has more physical ability,” Simms said on “The Dan Le Batard Show.” “His arm is stronger, he’s got a quicker release, he moves better.”
Cousins had his share of deep touchdown connections with Jefferson, but Darnold’s arm strength, and more notably, mobility are a game-changer for the Vikings offense.
While Darnold is off to a fast start, Cousins has looked timid in his first two starts with the Atlanta Falcons.
“I think the Vikings are one of the most well-coached teams in football. We know [Brian] Flores on the defensive side, he’s one of the few guys in the game that can match wits with [Kyle] Shanahan and the 49ers,” Simms added. “I am expecting Minnesota [as] a fringe playoff team, maybe just misses out, but a big pain in the [expletive] and, everyone is going to see what Sam Darnold is made of this year.”
Sam Darnold Led Game-Winning Drive Without Vikings’ Top 3 Receivers
While Darnold isn’t making a case to lead the league in passing, he’s proven efficient playing in the system and distributing the ball to his playmakers.
Through two weeks, Darnold has the third-highest pass grade by Pro Football Focus (PFF).
And his efficiency hasn’t come on checkdowns and screen passes. Darnold has completed 5 of 7 passes of 20 more yards for a league-leading 71.4% completion rate. Overall, Darnold has completed 36 of 50 passes (72%) for 476 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
But what’s most impressive was Darnold leading what proved to be the game-winning drive against the 49ers without his top three pass-catchers. Jefferson exited the game late in the third quarter with a quad contusion, joining Jordan Addison, who was ruled out, and T.J. Hockenson, currently on injured reserve.
Darnold marched the offense on a 64-yard scoring drive that drained nearly 7 minutes of clock time and was capped by a Will Reichard field goal. He converted on a third-and-8, connecting with Jalen Nailor for a 26-yard gain that allowed the Vikings to chew up the clock and 49ers timeouts. Darnold completed 5-of-6 passes on that drive without his top weapons.
New Video of Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson TD Connection is Worth the Watch
Darnold’s 97-yard touchdown connection with Jefferson will surely be among his top career highlights.
The longest of his career, Jefferson admitted it was a play he had only dreamed of and one that few receivers make a reality.
“I always dreamed of a 90, 95-yard touchdown. Never got the opportunity to get one, so as soon as I caught the ball and seen all of the open space, I was like ‘I can’t get tackled,’ ” Jefferson said in a postgame interview.
As more footage from Sunday’s game continues to be released, more angles capture the enormity of the play.
Click the right arrow on the Instagram post below and click on the thumbnail to play the video.
Warning: loud noise (but it’s worth it).
