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Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — No one needed to depart Sunday from U.S. Bank Stadium. A crowd of 67,008 stood cheering wildly because the clock wound down. Video of Minnesota Vikings receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison appeared on the massive display as they celebrated a uncommon stage of mixed manufacturing. The digital camera then panned to Sam Darnold.
The decibel stage rose for a quarterback who had simply thrown for 347 yards and 5 touchdowns, and was awaiting the ultimate whistle of the Vikings’ 42-21 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. A number of “MVP” chants may very well be heard.
Finally, Darnold could not resist. Normally quiet and reserved, he grabbed a towel and commenced waving it emphatically towards the group — a symbolic and highly effective second for a quarterback who has circled his profession through the previous 3½ months.
“I simply felt the thrill,” Darnold stated. “That was pure, pure ardour. Pure pleasure, man. Just the best way that we have been in a position to end that recreation out.”
Darnold admitted that an emotional outburst even to that stage occurs “very not often” for him.
“That was a whole lot of emotion for me,” he stated. “I used to be simply excited, man. I really feel like I could not simply sit there, simply sort of stoic and straight-faced. I felt like I needed to present a bit of little bit of emotion for the followers and gave them what they needed. That was a particular second for me.”
Said proper sort out Brian O’Neill: “If I used to be a quarterback and I threw for 5 touchdowns, I most likely would rise up and wave a towel too. I may be performing crazier in that state of affairs. He loves ball, he loves this workforce, and he loves being right here.
“It was good to see the [fan] response, too. That was one of many coolest sort of end-of-game environments within the stadium that we have had. Looking round. Everybody having time.”
Darnold threw his fourth and fifth landing passes, each to Addison, within the fourth quarter because the Vikings pulled away from a recreation tied at 21. Addison completed with three scores, and Jefferson two, making them the second pair of teammates in Vikings historical past to every have a 100-yard efficiency and a number of touchdowns in a single recreation. (The others have been receiver Hassan Jones and tight finish Steve Jordan in 1986).
The Vikings benefitted from a Falcons protection that used extra single-safety protection schemes than Jefferson and Addison normally see. Addison stated afterwards that he was shocked by that strategy, and predicted the Vikings will not see way more of it within the coming video games, however the massive performs nonetheless required a stage of poise from Darnold that few across the league believed he possessed when the season started.
On maybe his most troublesome play, Darnold spun away from a blitzing security Justin Simmons on a Third-and-8 play within the third quarter and located Jefferson alone for a 52-yard rating. Darnold aggressively fired the ball downfield all recreation, together with 13 passes that traveled no less than 10 yards previous the road of scrimmage. He accomplished 10 of them. Three traveled no less than 30 yards within the air, and a fourth fell incomplete to Addison however resulted in a 47-yard go interference penalty.
Days like Sunday could make it troublesome to do not forget that Darnold was main the NFL in turnovers after throwing three interceptions in an unpleasant 12-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10. Immediately after that recreation, coach Kevin O’Connell reiterated his robust assist for Darnold after which, together with quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, despatched him on a mission to handle some elementary errors he had been making.
In the 4 video games since then, Darnold has accomplished 68.8% of his passes for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns with no interceptions. The Vikings are 4-0 over that stretch, and at 11-2 they’re tied for the second-best file within the NFL.
“I believe there will be unimaginable progress in moments the place possibly on the surface, it appeared leaving Jacksonville like there’s one thing actually fallacious,” O’Connell stated. “I believe that is why I used to be so excited that day to win the sport and have such a teachable second. …
“What it was, for my part, was an unimaginable progress second for him to simply come again the subsequent week and begin stacking some issues which might be sort of main right into a layered sort of success kind strategy, which is what occurred to a whole lot of quarterbacks on this league, particularly those that their trajectory over the course of a season or their profession is pointing sky excessive.”
The symbolism of Sunday’s recreation was misplaced on few in attendance. The Vikings have been dealing with Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, who turned down what was basically a one-year provide in March from the Vikings to signal as an alternative with the Falcons. Afterwards, O’Connell was requested if the result introduced any stage of validation for the best way the Vikings have dealt with the transition from Cousins to Darnold.
O’Connell smiled and stated one phrase: “No.”
The endgame scene had stated all of it.
