Sam Darnold Had the Best Performance of His Vikings Career vs Bears
The Minnesota Vikings escaped Soldier Field after a 30-27 victory over the Chicago Bears. The Bears scored 11 points in the final 25 seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime. Fortunately, the Vikings would force a punt on the extra period’s first drive.
Sam Darnold then engineered a 10-play, 68-yard drive that set up a 29-yard game-winning field goal by John Parker Romo. Although the defense and special teams were sloppy over the final ten minutes of gameplay, Darnold had perhaps his best game as a Viking.
He was 22-of-34 passing for 330 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. No quarterback has thrown for more yards against the Bears this season, who entered the game with the ninth-ranked pass defense in the league.
Sam Darnold proved himself (again) in Chicago
The former No. 3 overall pick out of USC did this despite Justin Jefferson’s minimal statistical impact. The Bears held him to two receptions for 27 yards, but his impact was still felt. Jefferson drew a 35-yard pass interference call in the second quarter that put the ball at the Bears’ 6-yard line.
Two plays later, Jefferson ran a route toward the corner of the endzone, pulling the cornerback up to him and leaving wideout Jalen Nailor open underneath. Darnold threw to Nailor whose five-yard touchdown put the team up 14-7.
SAM DARNOLD 5 YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS TO JAILEN NAILOR #skol pic.twitter.com/09vx8vExlM
— SuperHawkeyeFan (@superhawkeyefan) November 24, 2024
With special attention paid to Jefferson, Sam Darnold targeted Jordan Addison nine times. Addison caught eight passes for 162 yards, a career-high, and one touchdown. No catch was more critical than a 13-yard strike to Addison on 3rd-and-10 on the game-winning drive.
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Not only did it extend the drive, but the Vikings had the ball at their own 21-yard line. A punt could have given the Bears the ball 20 yards away from a game-winning field goal. Addison wasn’t the sole beneficiary of Chicago’s gameplan to take Jefferson out of the game.
Injured Darnold found other Minnesota Vikings playmakers vs Bears
Sam Darnold threw nine passes to tight end T.J. Hockenson, completing seven for 114 yards. They connected on a 29-yard pass on the final drive that got the ball to the Bears’ 9-yard line. Two plays later, Parker Romo kicked the winning field goal.
Sam Darnold throws to a WIDE OPEN TJ Hockenson to set the Vikings up for a game-winning field goal. pic.twitter.com/9ylGIV0qKf
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) November 24, 2024
The overtime performance came after Darnold left the game in the middle of the fourth quarter, after he suffered a foot injury that cost him two plays. According to The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, Kevin O’Connell asked Darnold if he was above a 6 on a scale of 1-10.
Darnold game him a thumbs up. O’Connell then asked if he was above an 8, and Sam Darnold once again gave a thumbs up. “And then I think [Darnold] said, ‘Stop asking,'” O’Connell said. Although the game-winning drive covered 68 yards, Darnold threw for 90 yards.
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Sacks and penalties had the Vikings facing downs and distances of 2nd-and-17, 1st-and-15, and 1st-and-20. Darnold helped overcome all of these. This was far from the cleanest overall team performance of the season.
But Sam Darnold had his best performance of the season one week after he had one of his best games against the Titans. Let’s see if his hot streak continues next week against the Cardinals.
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