Sam Darnold has the Vikings second-guessing themselves right now when analyzing his start with the Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a heartbreaking loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is no rest for the weary, however, as now the Seahawks travel from the northwest portion of the country to the southeast to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But within that loss came a five-game sample size. And that sample size has proved to be the best stretch of Sam Darnold's career. Sure, it's early, and yes he only lost three games all of last season with the Minnesota Vikings.
But the numbers and the film show that Darnold is dealing like never before.
Sam Darnold is playing the best football of his career in Seattle
Right now Darnold has a higher completion percentage, quarterback rating, and yards per attempt in Seattle compared to Minnesota. But perhaps most impressive are some of the advanced numbers. Darnold's expected points added per play with the Seahawks is 0.117 points higher than with the Vikings.
He is literally 30 times more efficient throwing the Ball in Seattle than he was in Minnesota, where he was a bonified MVP candidate for most of the year in 2024. So why would the Vikings, who obviously knew what Darnold was capable of, decide to move on? I asked Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports Minnesota for some answers.
Why did the Vikings move off Sam Darnold?
"The discussion about whether it was smart or not to let Sam Darnold end up walking is one that will rage among Vikings fans for the next decade if he keeps playing like this. In theory, you don't let a quarterback like that walk, but it's not as simple as it was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield: the Vikings had a prized quarterback waiting."
"This team firmly believes that J.J. McCarthy is the guy and he hadn't done anything to tell them that he wouldn't be the guy. As things sit, the Vikings look like they made a poor decision, but it's only five games into the season, with McCarthy playing just two of those. It's not a surprise that Darnold is playing this well, but the Vikings believe McCarthy will get there quickly once he gets back onto the field." - Forness
Minnesotta was undoubtedly in a quandary. They, just like everyone else in the league, had no idea Darnold would play that well after revitalizing his career as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers. They had no clue J.J. McCarthy would miss his rookie season with a knee injury, thrusting Darnold into the lineup.
But I can promise you this, if the Vikings knew Darnold was going to play like this in Seattle, he would have never walked through tjose doors for the last time.
Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets Series History: Which team holds the edge heading to London?
The Denver Broncos and New York Jets have a rivalry that dates back to the old AFL days in the 1960s. They will now take it across the pond to London.
The Broncos have played in just two games since the start of the NFL International Series, with this being their first game in another country since October 30, 2022. The Jets have played in three games in the series, with the most recent coming last season in a 23-17 loss to the
The Broncos and Jets have faced each other 42 times across their histories, with the Broncos holding a close edge in the all-time series,
The Jets have two separate three-game winning streaks over the Broncos and the Broncos won five straight over the Jets from 1967 to 1976. Aside from that, it's been like a teeter-totter.
Denver won the most recent meeting, beating the Jets 10-9 on the road on a rain-soaked field at MetLife Stadium. That got the Broncos to 2-2 on the season and though it wasn't pretty, it was a key win for the team.
The Broncos have a 1-1 record in international games while the Jets are 1-2. It will be a big game for both teams as the Broncos are sitting at 3-2 on the season following a huge win over the
The Broncos and Jets are scheduled for kickoff at 7:30 AM Mountain time and the game will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. It will be televised on NFL Network. Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner will call the action.
