The Minnesota Vikings have been reborn with Sam Darnold at quarterback, and thankfully the rebirth (Darnoldisssance?) can continue uninterrupted. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the MRI on Darnold’s knee It showed a bruise but no structural damage. and the QB No moment is expected to be wasted.
Darnold took a low hit late in the third quarter against the Houston Texans on Sunday. He fell to the ground and then stayed there. The trainers came out and Nick Mullens came in to replace him at quarterback. Everyone feared the worst.
But Darnold returned and missed just one play. He played through the knee problem and ended up throwing four touchdowns and zero interceptions in the 34-7 victory. He told ProFootballTalk after the game that his knee was “fine, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.”
Darnold’s health is paramount heading into Week 4. The Vikings will face the Green Bay Packers, their biggest rival, at Lambeau Field on Sunday. That will be the real test for this surging Vikings team: Can they handle a hot Packers team that is on the cusp of getting their QB Jordan Love back from injury? We won’t know until next week, but a healthy Darnold gives them a much better chance than an injured one.