No. 5 (up 2 spots): NFL Staff, Bleacher Report
The Sam Darnold reclamation tour moves on.
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins – the Vikings squandered a late lead and allowed Chicago to force overtime with an onside kick recovery. But after a three-and-out on the first drive of overtime, Darnold took the Vikings right down the field for a game-winning Parker Romo field goal.
Darnold finished the game with 330 passing yards and two touchdowns, and after the victory Head Coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters he has every confidence that Darnold can lead the Vikings to victory – no matter the opponent.
“It was just the ability to overcome, and his trust in me and my trust in him,” O’Connell said. “We were gonna do it via the pass on that drive for the most part, try to mix some runs in there if we could. But I think that when your best is required, I had no hesitation of trying to attack what I was seeing and trying to get our guys going to get down there and give Parker a chance. Football is a game where you’ve got to be able to respond. It’s never gonna be perfect. This group is a special group, and it’s a road win in the NFC North, and I’m really proud of our team.”
After a two-game skid, the Vikings have rattled off four wins in a row. And the team has a manageable schedule [before] games against the Packers and Lions that could have huge stakes in the NFC North.
“The Vikings have a franchise quarterback. No, it’s not J.J. McCarthy, whom the organization sank a top-10 pick into this past April,” Bleacher Report NFL analyst Brent Sobleski said. “The reclamation project known as Sam Darnold has turned into something special. Darnold has reclaimed his career after playing for three different teams over the past four seasons. He’s comfortable and it shows, particularly in crunch time.
“During Sunday’s overtime victory over the Chicago Bears, Darnold completed 11-of-13 passes in the fourth quarter and overtime,” Sobleski added. “He’s now in line for a contract extension. McCarthy will just have to wait a while after his recovery from a knee injury before taking the reins.”