Sam Darnold shakes off foot injury, delivers gem in crunch time for Vikings

Midway through the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Bears, Sam Darnold took a hit and got up limping. A couple seconds later, he went back to the ground and had to come out of the game following a discussion with the Vikings' medical staff.

Backup Nick Mullens stepped up and converted a big play with a 14-yard completion to Aaron Jones on 3rd and 13 to extend the drive, then handed it off to Jones for another chunk gain. That's when Darnold, having missed just two plays, ran back onto the field. He had avoided the worst.

"I just had to walk it off a little bit," Darnold said of his foot injury.

From the sideline, Kevin O'Connell used his microphone to check in on his quarterback, who can hear him in his helmet but is only able to use hand motions to respond.

"I just asked him, 'scale of 1 to 10, are you above a six right now?'" O'Connell said. "And he gave me a thumbs up. I said, 'an eight?' He gave me a thumbs up. And I think he said stop asking."

If Darnold was still dealing with some discomfort in his foot, you would've never known it from watching him play down the stretch. He was already having a strong game, but the Vikings' QB went to another level after his injury scare. Darnold delivered over and over again in the clutch for his team, leading the Vikings to a dramatic 30-27 win in overtime at Soldier Field.

It started with a 34-yard pass to T.J. Hockenson on 3rd and 12, which set up the field goal that made it a 27-16 game with less than two minutes to play. At that point, Darnold and the rest of the Vikings' offensive players were safe to assume they had gotten the job done. But the Bears pulled off a stunning rally from down 11 points in the final minutes by using a touchdown, two-point conversion, and onside kick recovery to force OT.

When the Vikings' defense got a stop to open the extra period, Darnold had to get back into winning mode. He said his mindset, as always, was to take things play by play.

"Just execute," Darnold said. "It's as simple as that. Just one play at a time. I think I tell the guys that every single time in the huddle, but that's my mindset every single time I'm out there on the field, especially in that situation."

Execute is exactly what Darnold did. After taking a sack on the Vikings' first offensive play in OT, he hit Jordan Addison — who had the biggest game of his career with 162 receiving yards — on another third and long to move the sticks. Then, after a false start moved the ball backwards again, he found Justin Jefferson for a 20-yard gain. The Vikings went in the wrong direction a third time due to a holding penalty, but Darnold calmly hit Jones and Hockenson for another first down.

Then came the big one: A 29-yard strike to Hockenson that got the Vikings inside the Bears' 10 yard-line and set up John Parker Romo's game-winning field goal.

CLUTCH GENE ✅

Sam Darnold x @TheeHOCK8

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/PdaxrPYldw
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 24, 2024

Darnold was 6 of 6 on the decisive drive in overtime. Between the fourth quarter and OT, he completed 11 of 13 attempts for 166 yards. He finished his day with 330 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and no turnovers, but it was his work in the clutch that shined through the most. To borrow a phrase O'Connell likes to use, he was at his best when his best was required — and it wasn't a surprise to his teammates.

"I've learned everything about Sam every day since he's been here in April," Brian O'Neill said when asked if he learned anything about Darnold in this game. "He's been the same guy every day, whether things are going great, just OK, or some tough moments. He's been a baller and he never flinches."

The Vikings made it tough on themselves at times in Sunday's game, but their quarterback was outstanding when it mattered most. Darnold shined in the clutch and validated his head coach's trust as he led his team to its ninth win of the year.

"As a play caller, when you've got a guy like this, that you know, regardless of circumstance, regardless of whatever has happened, all this guy did was kept pulling the trigger, making plays down the field, standing in there," O'Connell said in his postgame locker room speech to the team. "Whatever we needed, Sam Darnold gave us."