Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will face off against one of his former teams, the Minnesota Vikings, this Sunday. The Seahawks, sporting an 8-3 record, will host the 4-7 Vikings at Lumen Field.
Current Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores previously worked with Darnold when he helped the Vikings achieve a remarkable 14-3 record last season. In a press conference on Tuesday, Flores delivered a cautionary message to Darnold about what he might encounter on the field during the final game of November.
Flores stated, “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. We had a great rapport, friendship. I”m happy for him, but we”ll blitz him this week.”
Last season, Flores witnessed Darnold at his best, leading the Vikings to a strong record. However, two disappointing performances in consecutive games ultimately halted Minnesota”s playoff aspirations. In their wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold was sacked nine times, resulting in a loss of 82 yards. He also threw an interception and fumbled, leading to a touchdown for the Rams.
Heading into Week 13 of the current season, Darnold ranks sixth in the NFL among qualified players with a 69.2 adjusted QBR. He also holds the fifth-best passer rating at 106.2, along with 2,785 total passing yards and 19 touchdown passes, which ties him for fifth in the league. Despite these impressive statistics, Darnold struggled in a recent game against the Rams, where he was intercepted four times.
Flores reflected on Darnold”s previous challenges, saying, “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. So, 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, ESPN BET listed the Seahawks as significant 11.5-point favorites against the Vikings, suggesting that some analysts believe Darnold will not be overly troubled by Minnesota”s defense this Sunday.
