Against the Texans, Sam Darnold was more than a point guard

MINNEAPOLIS — All offseason, Sam Darnold talked about “playing point guard” in Kevin O'Connell's offense. His goal was to get the ball into the hands of playmakers, stay in rhythm and not try too hard to do everything himself.

But in his performance that earned him four touchdowns in Sunday's blowout win over the Houston Texans, Darnold did much more than simply distribute the ball. He made a series of exceptional plays that led to the Vikings scoring 34 points and a 3-0 record.

The Vikings opened the game with an interception by linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill that gave them the opportunity to catch the favored Texans off guard. After a third down at the Houston 6-yard line, Darnold escaped the pocket and ran around until he saw Justin Jefferson break away from his defender. He threw him the ball that allowed for an early strike to set the tone.

“Justin's (touchdown) is really an example of something that's off schedule,” O'Connell said. “Great job of him not getting drawn out early in the game and working back. You've seen us do that drill a lot in practice. And Sam's athletic ability to run off schedule is a big weapon in the red zone. And that doesn't mean running the quarterback or RPOs. That means backing off and getting in rhythm and finding a way to get up and attack the defense.”

On Darnold's second drive of the game, he again tried to capitalize on a Texans mistake. Houston missed a 54-yard field goal, giving Darnold the ball at the halfway line. He immediately hit Jefferson, who made an explosive 28-yard pass to get deep into Houston territory. From the Texans' 8-yard line, Darnold dropped back, waited for RB Aaron Jones to scamper across the middle of the field, then hit him on the run for a touchdown.

After the second half, the Vikings wanted to win the game by three points. After a pass interference call, Darnold had to go to the goal line again, where he threw the ball past the Houston defenders and got stuck in the hands of Jalen Nailor in the back of the end zone.

“It's a complete re-orientation of the back of a formation – feet, eyes, ball, position, a real beauty,” O'Connell explained.

Late in the third quarter, Darnold was up 21-7, pressured by Danielle Hunter, and struggled to get off the field. He was forced to leave the game and go to the injury tent for one play. When he put his helmet back on and jogged onto the field, U.S. Bank Stadium erupted in celebration as if the Vikings had scored a point.

“I know Sam probably appreciated that,” O'Connell said.

When he returned, a touchdown pass was canceled due to a penalty on Jones, pushing the Vikings back to the Houston 40-yard line. That's within Will Reichard's reach (as we'll see later in the game), but it would have been a long field goal if Darnold hadn't found a way to get the ball to Brandon Powell. Under pressure, he was able to get enough of the ball to the football for Powell to catch, converting third-and-14 and allowing a chip shot for the kicker.

And then in the fourth quarter, a Chef's Kiss touchdown for Darnold.

Jones fought his way through the Texans defense and brought the Vikings to the 1-yard line. Darnold threw the ball into the hands of tight end Johnny Mundt, ending any possible comeback attempt.

Even though it was only a 2-yard throw, O'Connell was very impressed with how perfectly Darnold read the game.

“A play where he gets us to the right play and then understands how we talked about the motion and how it could impact the defense,” O'Connell explained. “There could be little gaps within the zone coverage. And he cuts his first drive right into Johnny, which I thought was a great catch in the scrum.”

Through three games, Darnold has averaged 8.4 yards per attempt with eight touchdowns and just two interceptions and a quarterback rating of 117.3. O'Connell described his play against the Texans as “the full spectrum” of what he can do as a quarterback — which reflects much more of a dynamic quarterback than just a quarterback who makes plays for his playmakers.