The Case (Keenum) For Sam Darnold
Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
It’s halftime at Soldier Field on a cold Monday night. As is customary for the Minnesota Vikings, they’re giving the nation what they want in a prime time game: a scorching 3-2 lead over the Chicago Bears heading into halftime. After 30 minutes of play, the first half highlights consisted of Leonard Floyd sacking Sam Bradford in the end zone and Kai Forbath drilling a 26-yard field goal. Little did America know there was a savior waiting in the wings.
That savior was none other than journeyman QB Case Keenum. The word at halftime was that Bradford re-aggravated a previous knee injury and would be out the remainder of the game. Keenum took over as Minnesota’s signal-caller after halftime and never looked back. He led the team to a 20-17 victory that night and would go on to win 10 more games as the starter against only one loss. Not to mention he orchestrated, arguably, the most electrifying play in Vikings history when he hit the King of Cryptic Tweets, Stefon Diggs, for a 61-yard, walk-off touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. You might know that as “The Minneapolis Miracle.”
Why rehash old history now? How is this relevant to the 2024 Vikings? Turn your gaze to journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold. Unlike Keenum, Darnold was a hot prospect coming out of college. He completed his final season at USC with a 20-4 record as a starter and would end up being drafted 3rd overall to the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft.
It was all down from there. Darnold struggled with inconsistent decisions and injuries throughout his time in New York, and then his eventual two-year stay with the Carolina Panthers. However, for the 27-year-old Darnold, the tools are undoubtedly still there. He has excellent arm strength, size, and he proved in college that he could properly diagnose defenses pre-snap.
Unfortunately, the numbers are what they are for Sam. In his six years in the league, he holds a 21-35 record, has a putrid 63-to-56 touchdown-to-interception ratio, along with 14 lost fumbles. But let’s compare where Keenum was prior his magical 2017 season with the Vikings. Keenum “boasted” a 9-15 record as a starter, had thrown 24 touchdowns against 18 interceptions, and had lost 6 fumbles. Unlike Darnold, Keenum never held a quarterback rating above 80.0, something Darnold has accomplished three times (2019, 2022, and 2023) since entering the league.
Could it happen? Could Darnold really be that guy who turns into a stud out of nowhere this year? It’s crazy, but you can talk yourself into it. Think about where Darnold has played so far in his career. It was an absolute mess in New York when he was drafted. A terrible offensive line, limited weapons, and a poor coaching staff putting the weight of their jobs on a 21-year-old rookie (Spoilers: they all lost their jobs). Darnold almost had no other option but to fail.
Then comes a fresh start in name only with Carolina. For Darnold, he might as well have stayed in New York. The Panthers’ coaching staff was in turmoil, and had an aging team whose previous successes were all attributable to their defense, not their offensive weapons or prowess. It was another bad spot to put a young QB whose confidence, understandably, was shaken.
Lastly, he takes on a one-year contract to be a backup for the San Francisco 49ers. Admittedly, Darnold wasn’t asked to do a lot, but when he had to fill in due to injuries, he finally had a supporting cast to work with. Not surprisingly, he looked like a much more polished product to the eye. It almost makes you wonder what a young Sam Darnold could have become with a Shanahan-esque coaching staff from Day 1. Unfortunately, history is history.
But today is today. And the good news for Darnold is he now has Kevin O’Connell as a cuddle buddy here in Minnesota. Not to mention a trio of solid pass-catchers in Justin Jefferson, TJ Hockenson, and Jordan Addison.
Now the real question is: will it happen? Realistically, Vikings fans might want to hunker down in September, because it’s probably going to be a long year. However, it’s undeniable that the Vikings have one of the most talented offensive rosters in the NFL, led by an innovative, creative coach. Heck, O’Connell made Josh Dobbs look like Lamar Jackson for 5 quarters. Why can’t he do better with the more talented Darnold?
Oh, no, here comes the part where Minnesota fans talk themselves into Darnold. But, hey, journeymen have made miracles happen here before. It’s the preseason, and you only live once, so why not buy into the Vikings uncovering Keenum 2.0?
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