Scoggins: Vikings offense showing synergy of big-armed QB, big-play receivers and aggressive coach

Sam Darnold sits back in the pocket, surveying the field and buying time as Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison maneuver through their routes. If they are deep down the field, even better. Ready, aim, fire.

“Just don’t miss,” Darnold said. “That’s the biggest thing.”

He doesn’t miss often, which has given the Vikings offense a dimension that is both highly productive and wildly entertaining.

The deep passing game that has become a real asset for the Vikings is the product of a perfect marriage between a quarterback with a bazooka for an arm, a pair of receivers who stretch the field vertically and a head coach in Kevin O’Connell who excels at designing and calling aggressive pass plays.

“Long foul balls” is how former Vikings coach Brad Childress described deep passes that weren’t completed. Darnold is hitting a lot of home runs.

Darnold leads the NFL in completions of 20-plus yards. He twisted the Atlanta Falcons secondary into human pretzels last week on long pass plays, including three that gained 40 yards or more.

“The biggest thing for me as a quarterback is understanding: When is it there? When is it not there? Should I check it down?” Darnold said. “Just having clarity in those moments where I don’t necessarily feel comfortable cutting it loose.”

The risk-reward factor is high when rifling the ball downfield, but Darnold seems to be at his best in those situations.

“Arm talent” has become a cliché in evaluating quarterbacks, but if we’ve learned anything about Darnold this season, it’s that he ranks in the highest percentile in the ability to sling it.

Analytics confirm the eye test.

Pro Football Focus measures quarterbacks on passes that travel 20-plus yards. Darnold ranks second in the league in completion percentage (52.9%) on those throws and first in yards, touchdowns and, yes, interceptions.

The website also includes a category called BTT — big time throws — that is described as a “pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.”

Darnold is second in the NFL in BTT, behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen.

The origin of his success starts with dialogue.

O’Connell meets with Darnold before every game to discuss the menu of plays he might call. Only a few times has Darnold taken a red pen and crossed out a play he’s uncomfortable using in the game.

“I never want to call a play that a quarterback doesn’t feel really excited about when it comes into their headset,” O’Connell said. “It’s bad enough they have to hear my voice the whole game, but to hear my voice with a play they don’t like, that doesn’t sound very fun.”

Throwing the ball to Jefferson or Addison never sounds like a bad idea. Not only are both fast and slippery tacticians as route runners, but their skill at tracking the ball in the air is masterful.

Addison’s 49-yard touchdown catch last Sunday served as a tracking training video. Pressure in Darnold’s face forced him to throw a high-arching pass. Addison tracked the trajectory and adjusted his route as Falcons defenders ran themselves out of position. Addison jogged into the end zone after making the catch.

“I think ball tracking from a receiver, especially down the field, that is a natural gifted thing,” O’Connell said. “Things are happening so fast. I mean, they’re tracking the laces of the ball, the revolution.”

As a young assistant coach, O’Connell always admired former Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson’s ability to track passes while running full speed wearing a helmet.

“I just remember being, like, ‘That’s the trait,’ ” he said. “Not only a guy that can fly, but a guy that can track the ball and really effortlessly make something that’s very, very difficult look easy. There’s been great examples of it, but I think we got two of them right here in our building for sure.”

Something else to consider: No NFL team has racked up more free yards from pass interference penalties this season than the Vikings at 273. Jefferson has drawn the most pass interferences in the league with eight.

Atlanta cornerback Mike Hughes tackled Addison on a deep pass in the second quarter, resulting in a 47-yard pass interference penalty. The outcome was the same as a long completion.

Postgame, O’Connell praised Darnold’s entire performance, saying he showed “big-field vision and putting the ball exactly where it needs to go. Incredibly calm. Total ownership, command.”

His best moment came when he dodged a sack, then threw on the run deep downfield to Jefferson, who had his arm raised in a universal sign of “I’m open!”

Darnold had clarity in that moment. He knew to cut it loose. He didn’t miss, and Jefferson backpedaled into the end zone for a touchdown.