Sam Darnold will face off against one of his former teams this Sunday as his Seattle Seahawks, currently holding an 8-3 record, take on the 4-7 Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field.
As the defensive coordinator for Minnesota, Brian Flores previously worked with Darnold when the quarterback led the Vikings to a successful 14-3 season last year. In a press conference on Tuesday, Flores offered a cautionary statement, hinting at what Darnold might encounter on the field at the end of November.
Flores expressed admiration for Darnold, stating, “Sam”s one of my favorites. He”d grown tremendously when he was here, for sure, just from a leadership standpoint. He did a lot of great things when he was here, and clearly those things are continuing to show up for him out there in Seattle.” However, he added, “We”ll blitz him this week.”
During his time under Flores, Darnold showcased his abilities, but the conclusion of the season was marred by two disappointing losses, including a wild-card playoff defeat against the Los Angeles Rams. In that game, Darnold was sacked nine times, resulting in a loss of 82 yards, and he also threw an interception and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
As the current season progresses, Darnold ranks highly among NFL quarterbacks, sitting sixth in adjusted QBR with a score of 69.2, fifth with a passer rating of 106.2, and has accumulated 2,785 passing yards, tied for fifth with 19 touchdown passes. Nonetheless, he faced challenges in a recent game against the Rams, where he threw four interceptions.
Flores reflected on Darnold”s previous struggles, noting, “There”s some things that we could say may have bothered him a year ago, but maybe they don”t this year. Based on having seen it several times, getting more reps at it, getting more familiarity with a front or a coverage. A year later, it”s hard to know. But you try it out and see if that still bothers him. If it doesn”t bother him, you move on to something else. If it does, you keep running it.”
As of Wednesday morning, the Seahawks are favored by 11.5 points over the Vikings, indicating a belief among some analysts that Darnold may not be significantly troubled in this upcoming matchup.
