The Minnesota Vikings have been reborn with Sam Darnold at quarterback, and thankfully the renaissance (Darnoldisssance?) can continue uninterrupted. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, an MRI of Darnold’s left knee showed a bruise but no structural damage, and the QB is not expected to miss a snap.
Darnold took a low hit late in the third quarter against the Houston Texans on Sunday. He went down. And then he stayed down. The coaches came. Nick Mullens came in to replace him as QB. Everyone feared the worst.
But then Darnold came back and missed just one play. He played through the knee issue, ultimately throwing four touchdowns and zero interceptions in the 34-7 victory. He told ProFootballTalk after the game that his knee “was fine, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.”
Darnold’s health will be paramount in Week 4. The Vikings take on their biggest rival, the Green Bay Packers, on Sunday at Lambeau Field (1 p.m. ET, CBS). That will be the real test for this surging Vikings team: Can they handle a hot Packers team that is on the verge of getting QB Jordan Love back from injury? We won’t know until next week, but a healthy Darnold gives them a much better chance than an injured one.
