Sam Darnold has arrived. He has become a true Vikings quarterback. He has mastered the art of winning regular-season games while making you reach for antacid or, these days, a tin of gummies.
Evoking memories of everyone from Warren Moon to Kirk Cousins, Darnold seized upon the occasion of a nationally televised Sunday night game at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday night to alternate efficiency and erraticness.
It’s as if he grew up in Minnesota, studying the art of raising unrealistic expectations.
He made three big mistakes that ultimately didn’t cost the Vikings, who defeated the Colts 21-13 to end their two-game losing streak and keep them near the leaders in the conference and division.
When Darnold was good, he was on the money, and when he was bad, he was a one-man deficit.
If you were hoping for a Vikings performance that allowed them to keep pace in the standings, this game did the job.
If you were hoping for a performance that would make you believe that the 2024 Vikings are championship contenders, you would have been better off watching “Yellowstone.”
Darnold is the latest Vikings quarterback to be talented enough to inject hope into your heart and skittish enough to break it.