Sam Darnold had another great game in Sunday’s 27-25 win over the Green Bay Packers. He threw for a career-high 377 yards and had his sixth game with at least six touchdown passes this year. However, the win cemented an accomplishment no other quarterback in league history has done.
Darnold became the first quarterback in NFL history to record 14 wins in his first season with a team. It’s a feat that Brett Favre couldn’t accomplish in 2009 with the Vikings. Or Peyton Manning in 2012 with the Broncos. Or even Tom Brady in 2020 with the Buccaneers.
Unlike those quarterbacks, Darnold doesn’t have a Hall of Fame pedigree. He also didn’t join a team the public viewed as ready to “win now.” Signed on a one-year deal, the expectation was that Darnold would hold the starting quarterback spot down until J.J. McCarthy was ready.
Now, the Vikings are on the doorstep of holding home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.