Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell‘s confidence in Sam Darnold proved borderline reckless in their Week 5 win over the New York Jets.
Up by 10 points and facing third-and-15 in the fourth quarter, O’Connell opted to go for the big gain and call a passing play. Darnold targeted Jordan Addison downfield and was picked off by Jets cornerback Brandin Echols.
New York scored a touchdown off the turnover to bring themselves within three points of tying the game.
Darnold connected on a pair of 20-plus yard connections with Justin Jefferson and Johnny Mundt the following drive, but forcing the ball to Jefferson twice on the final series led to two incompletions and ultimately a field goal.
Giving the ball back to Aaron Rodgers with three minutes left in the game with a 6-point deficit is not playing good situational football.
Former Pioneer Press columnist Brian Murphy argued that, after Darnold’s early success and MVP candidacy, O’Connell had gotten “drunk on Darnold” and should consider a more conservative approach.
“It’s almost like O’Connell got a little bit drunk on Darnold through the first three weeks and thought, ‘Well, maybe we can open it up and keep the gas pedal jammed and if we’re struggling a little bit, we’re not finding a rhythm and we need to put this game away, let’s force it downfield.’ ” Murphy said on “The Purple Insider” podcast. “It’s one thing to have Jefferson climbing the ladder and making every catch, but if he’s if he’s covered and he’s been taken away and you’re trying to find Jordan Addison 40 yards down the field, bad things can happen.”
Vikings Riding the Rollercoaster of Sam Darnold’s Deep Throws
Through five weeks, O’Connell has maintained that he wants to remain aggressive in his playcalling to show the team his confidence and faith in Darnold running the offense.
“I’m just really stating the obvious inside that locker room, confirming to them that I believe in them, I love them and we’re going to ride together and we’re going to stay aggressive while being smart,” O’Connell said on September 29 after a 31-29 win over the Green Bay Packers.
It’s proven effective. Darnold leads the league with 11 deep-ball completions, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Five of those completions have gone to Jefferson.
However, Darnold was glued on Jefferson against the Jets and it led to the offense stalling out several times, including on their final series which led to a field goal.
Darnold threw more incompletions (17) than completions (14) that game and was held without a touchdown. His 179 passing yards and 50.3 quarterback rating were both season-lows.
He is tied for fourth in the league with three turnover-worthy plays on deep throws while ranking 13th in turnover-worthy play percentage (11.1%).
“I like O’Connell’s attitude, but I almost feel like he’s getting a little bit ahead of himself and trying to be the smartest play caller in the room at every possible moment,” Murphy said. “He may want to look at himself and say, ‘Okay, I don’t want to force things. I don’t want to put Darnold in positions where he fails. I want to put him in positions where he succeeds.’ ”
O’Connell Says There Is a Line With Aggressive Play
O’Connell came under fire for his playcalling after the Packers nearly came back in Week 5.
Facing fourth-and-1 on the Packers’ 4-yard line with less than three minutes left in the game and a 9-point lead in hand, O’Connell went for it instead of taking the field goal and forcing Green Bay to score two touchdowns to tie.
The Packers stopped Jalen Nailor on a jet sweep and marched 96 yards for a touchdown that brought Green Bay within three points.
The Vikings held on to the win, recovering the ensuing onside kick, but it was too close for fans who watched a 21-point lead at halftime evaporate in the final quarter.
While O’Connell said he would stay aggressive, he did acknowledge there is a line.
“There’s always a line there, but I’m really proud of our guys,” he said.
Dodging disaster twice in back-to-back weeks, O’Connell has the bye week to self-scout and consider where he could sprinkle in a more conservative approach moving forward.
