Inside The Vikings

Dan Orlovsky puts Vikings' Sam Darnold in his top five QBs this season

Darnold has been outstanding to start the 2024 season in Minnesota.
Will Ragatz|
Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass for a touchdown against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass for a touchdown against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

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ESPN's Dan Orlovsky has been high on the Vikings since before this season began. Back when J.J. McCarthy got hurt, Orlovsky expressed major confidence in Sam Darnold and what he was going to do this season under Kevin O'Connell.

So far, he's been spot on. The Vikings are 3-0, Darnold leads the NFL in touchdown passes, and Orlovsky looks awfully smart. He's even gotten his colleague Stephen A Smith. to see the light.

This week, Dan O showered some more praise on the Vikings, ranking Darnold third in his list of the top five quarterbacks in the league right now. Only Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers came in above Darnold on the list.

"Don't play man coverage vs. him. If you play man coverage vs. Sam Darnold, he's gonna score 30-plus on you," Orlovsky said. "His connection (with) Justin Jefferson...he's doing it without Addison, he's doing it without Hockenson. Kevin O'Connell, arguably coach of the year right now with Matt LaFleur, making things super good for Sam Darnold."

If you just look at these last three weeks, Darnold has a legit case to be in the top five. He's first in passing touchdowns, second behind Allen in passer rating, fifth in yards per attempt, fifth in QBR, and fourth in PFF passing grade.

Of course, if you're making a ranking of quarterbacks from a forward-looking perspective, Patrick Mahomes is still No. 1 and Darnold is maybe in the 12-16 range behind more established starters. It's still just a three-game sample size for a guy who struggled to sustain any success in New York or Carolina.

Then again, given the situation he's in with the Vikings, there's little reason to believe his play through three weeks has been fluky. Darnold looks very good in O'Connell's offense, which he's executing with comfort, poise, and confidence. Sunday's trip to Lambeau Field will provide another tough test.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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