Souhan: Quarterback Sam Darnold is ‘big time’ in his Vikings debut

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Sam Darnold’s teammates strutted toward the MetLife Stadium locker room on Sunday morning, making fashion statements.

Aaron Jones wore a purple sombrero, Justin Jefferson an outfit that looked like a blend of velour, leopard and camo.

Darnold? The new Vikings quarterback walked through his old stadium looking like he craved anonymity. He wore a white T-shirt, faded jean jacket and baggy black jeans, along with old-school canvas sneakers and no jewelry.

Instead of getting into the spirit of football fashion faux pas, Darnold would make his statement with pigskin.

In 2018, the Jets, who share MetLife Stadium with the Giants, made him the third pick in the draft. In his debut as the Vikings’ quarterback on Sunday, Darnold played the way his first team had envisioned, displaying a blend of talent, intelligence and composure in the Vikings’ 28-6 victory over the Giants.

He completed his first 12 passes, and finished 19 of 24 for 208 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception.

On his longest completion, he spotted Jefferson breaking open deep and hit him in stride for 44 yards.

On his most impressive completion, he distracted defenders with a shoulder shimmy toward Jefferson in the right flat, before gunning a pass to Jalen Nailor while taking a hit for a 21-yard touchdown.

On the Vikings’ first touchdown, he changed plays at the line of scrimmage as the play clock neared zero, then handed to Jones, who scored easily.

If you didn’t know that Darnold had failed as a starter with two teams and apprenticed with a third, you would have thought he was a mid-to-upper-level NFL starter.

Which is a good way for him to begin his Vikings’ tenure, and why mention that he performed similarly in his first few games with the Carolina Panthers before imploding?

When asked which throws impressed him most, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell first mentioned Darnold’s 22-yard completion over the middle to tight end Josh Oliver, which led to Jones’ touchdown run.

“The ‘seam’ ball to Josh Oliver from under center — I was trying to see if I could manufacture an easy throw, but an explosive throw with that play,” O’Connell said. “And he just absolutely drilled it.

“And then, on the 99-yard drive — it’s been a while since we’ve done that — that throw to Justin was just remarkable. To be able to lean on the quarterback in that moment to activate your best players, that’s a really big-time play in that moment.”

On Jefferson’s long catch, Darnold had to release the pass before Jefferson had burst past his defender. Jefferson said that such a throw requires trust.

Jefferson had built that kind of relationship with Kirk Cousins. Sunday, as Darnold was impressing, Cousins was in Atlanta, completing 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions in an 18-10 loss at home to Pittsburgh.

We’re a long way from drawing final conclusions, but Day 1 went to the guy who has yet to bare his chest or wear gold chains at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“It’s great to be back here,” Darnold said. “It’s been a while since I played here. It’s always good to get back to MetLife.”

Since signing with the Vikings, Darnold has spoken with the kind of cautiousness often displayed by athletes who have been a punchline to millions of New Yorkers. In what he could have treated as a triumphant return, he was bland, if genial.

But he knows what’s at stake, for himself and his new team. If Darnold plays well, he will benefit from an evolved passing offense and excellent skill-position players, and be a candidate to earn a big contract and a starting job in 2025.

“It’s just playing with confidence,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. We’ve got a great offense. We’ve got a great system. If I just play on time and do all of the things I need to do to execute, we’ll be all right.”

That was the Vikings’ working theory when they signed Darnold. Sunday, that theory became, at least momentarily, more credible.