Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has just as many reasons to hold a grudge against the New York Jets as his quarterback Sam Darnold does.
The Jets cut the Vikings head coach, formerly a 2008 third-round pick, during the 2010 offseason that was featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” New York general manager Mike Tannenbaum was remarkably blunt to the 25-year-old O’Connell.
A decade later, New York parted ways with Darnold, trading him away to the Carolina Panthers in 2021 after three seasons.
O’Connell was asked if he’s approaching Darnold with any special treatment this week and downplayed any idea of a revenge game.
“Sam’s done such a great job of focusing on doing his job, leading our offense, totally diving into the game plan and how he’s going to positively run the show like he has been,” O’Connell said in an October 2 news conference. “So happy with Sam and I think he’s going to focus on doing his job against a really talented defense regardless of who the opponent is.”
Vikings QB Sam Darnold Proving Jets Wrong
Of course, Darnold would like the prove his naysayers wrong, but words only go so far. His play, on the other hand, is speaking volumes and proving the Jets wrong in their decision.
Darnold leads the league with 11 touchdown passes and boasts the highest passer rating (118.9) of any quarterback in the league through four weeks. Through the first month of the season, national commentators have debated whether Darnold’s career renaissance is real or a mirage.
He already conquered another former team of his in the San Francisco 49ers, who beat the Jets handily in Week 1, throwing for 268 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings’ 23-17 victory over San Francisco.
Darnold’s best revenge has been his play, which he hopes to maintain in London on Sunday.
Vikings Open as Favorites vs. Jets in London
For the first time since their season opener, the Vikings are favorites.
FanDuel Sportsbook has Minnesota (4-0) as 2.5-point favorites over New York (2-2), coming off a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos last week.
The Vikings eeked out a 31-29 win over the Green Bay Packers. They scored 28 unanswered points to open the game before a late Packers surge foiled the potential rout.
Aaron Rodgers has shown mixed performances in his first four games back from a season-ending knee injury from a year ago. He’s averaged 212.3 yards passing per game and thrown five touchdowns with one interception. The Jets offense has averaged 19.0 points per game, ranking 21st in the league.
The oldest starting quarterback in the league at 40 years old, Rodgers said he’s dealing with some knee soreness after the Broncos defense’s dominant performance over the Jets. He was sacked five times and took 14 hits last week.
Rodgers’ knee issue could have the Vikings defense seeing red. They lead the league with 17 sacks in four games this season and blitz more than any other team.
Darnold will look to outduel Rodgers and build upon his productive first month of the season. The Vikings offense is averaging 29.0 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the league.
