There is a disconnect between expectation and reality…

[supafreak84]

Lol!  Yes, cause outside of last years playoff game Sam has played in so many big games.  So what exactly did you see up and close and in person during the 14 wins?  Did you actually watch any of those games?!  Or they didn't really count?  Your take has absolutely no merit.

I watched every game and you saw him wilt against the Lions with everything on the line same as you, then the playoff game against the Rams. He was abysmal. He stunk. I know you are an SC homer and all...but come on! He stunk it up in big games in New York with his job on the line and sucked in Carolina. Nice guy, happy for him, but we all know Darnold is going to Darnold at some point and that will likely come in the playoffs. The Vikings knew this and it's why the went with the QB they didn't know about over the one they did

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Also as long as the condoms have Lincoln and ND has Freeman, I like our chances

[hogjowlsjohnny]

I watched every game and you saw him wilt against the Lions with everything on the line same as you, then the playoff game against the Rams. He was abysmal. He stunk. I know you are an SC homer and all...but come on! He stunk it up in big games in New York with his job on the line and sucked in Carolina. Nice guy, happy for him, but we all know Darnold is going to Darnold at some point and that will likely come in the playoffs. The Vikings knew this and it's why the went with the QB they didn't know about over the one they did

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Also as long as the condoms have Lincoln and ND has Freeman, I like our chances

Darnold is knocking on the front door. McCarthy is knocking on the back door. Darnold caved and was abysmal but his line was also completely abysmal. The team he plays for is considered a superbowl contender. The Vikings are in last place.

[StickierBuns]

Year 5 and what's Jordan Love done? I'll wait.....

I said months ago that JJ would be up and down and his accuracy would be the thing he'll need to work on first. Nothing has changed in that thought for me. It'll come with reps, making mistakes, learning and processing. No getting away from the volatility until enough reps are garnered.

[pattersaur]

Lol!  Yes, cause outside of last years playoff game Sam has played in so many big games.  So what exactly did you see up and close and in person during the 14 wins?  Did you actually watch any of those games?!  Or they didn't really count?  Your take has absolutely no merit.

Darnold is playing great and 2026 Darnold isn't 2025 Darnold. Maybe he is but we don't know that. It's very possible he's learned from last year and improved. I'm rooting for him even though if they win the Super Bowl that will be kind of painful too. But for the Vikings-- Darnold played great all year and I was really into giving him an extension. Said it on hear many times, as early as Week 7 and as late as well, before the playoff game.

I really thought after our Detroit debacle that the coaches, the OL, the QB, would get things fixed for the big game with the Rams. Even if we didn't win, I wasn't worried about the offense collapsing again. And then that's exactly what happened. It was sad and at that point, it just made sense to move on to McCarthy if the team believed in him (they did/do).

I'm not singling out you JR at all, but in general there's a lot of hindsight with the Darnold and Jones stuff because they are playing well. But realistically I don't see how people can be that upset over moving off Darnold after how last season ended. Giving him a big contract at that time, on the heels of Cousins who also has a rep of wilting in big games, was a huge gamble for the Vikings. McCarthy was a lot cheaper since the picks had already been spent and he also has unknown upside. Moving on from Darnold was the right move in my opinion, though I will always wonder if the team even made an attempt to extend him mid-season last year when the price was lower, as I was clamoring for. Maybe we'll find out on a podcast someday.

[Zanary]

Darnold is knocking on the front door. McCarthy is knocking on the back door. Darnold caved and was abysmal but his line was also completely abysmal. The team he plays for is considered a superbowl contender. The Vikings are in last place.

"Considered a superbowl contender"...yeah, like the Lions were gonna be the NFC team for the last 3 years, and A-a-ron was the NFC's superbowl QB every year for a decade...

...nothing counts but the players/teams that actually make it.

Darnold got a big career-saving jolt from being in Minnesota, that's a no-brainer...as were his meltdowns against Detroit and LA. Meanwhile, our young'un is 2-0 in the division, and the fanbase has howled forever to draft and raise a QB.

There were and are gonna be bumps in the road. It's a fuggin' sports team playing on huge stages against other sports teams. Even veteran QBs have junk games...just ask Jordan Love.

"Last place" in a division blanketed within a two win margin, with a brand-new QB and 5 games with a backup, is still doing better than most realize.