Sam Darnold Was NFL Week 3’s Biggest Surprise as Minnesota Vikings Improve to 3-0

Waking up on the morning of Oct. 22, 2019, had to be absolutely pitiful for New York Jets fans. 

One night earlier, all they could do was watch as Jets quarterback Sam Darnold threw four interceptions and lost a fumble during a 33-0 loss to the New England Patriots on “Monday Night Football.”

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Darnold was caught saying, “I’m seeing ghosts,” while mic’d up during the game.

Yikes.

Nearly five years have gone by since that iconic soundbite, and now it feels like we might be the ones watching something paranormal.

Darnold is actually good at football now. Like, really good. He was absolutely dialed in on Sunday, completing 17 of 28 passes for 181 yards and four touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings put together a 34-7 drubbing of the Houston Texans in Minneapolis.

Getting caught saying “I’m seeing ghosts” on primetime television as an NFL quarterback should have been an instant career killer. But Darnold persisted, somewhat, turning into a bit of a journeyman by spending time with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers following his New York days.

Then he signed with Minnesota, stepping into the starting role when No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy sustained a season-ending knee injury.

Darnold, 27, has thrived, throwing for 657 yards and eight TDs to help the Vikings get off to a 3-0 start to the season. He has been picked off twice.

Minnesota hasn’t even been at full strength, as second-year wide receiver Jordan Addison has missed the past two games due to an ankle injury. He played just 28 snaps in Week 1.

Yet there Darnold was on Sunday, tossing four touchdown passes against a Houston team that reached the playoffs last season and should have no problem getting back there this time around.

If time travel is real, someone needs to go visit the disgruntled 2019 Jets fan to tell them that heading into Week 3’s edition of “Monday Night Football” in the 2024 season, Darnold leads the NFL in passing touchdowns. It’s almost just as believable as Darnold’s claims that ghosts were pestering him on the gridiron. 

Not that Darnold has needed it, but he’s had a phenomenal defense backing him through the first three games of the campaign. Entering Monday, the Vikings ranked second in the entire league in scoring defense with just 10.0 points allowed per contest.

A big challenge comes on Oct. 6, though. Darnold will be going up against the Jets, and as long as the spirits don’t travel with New York from East Rutherford, N.J., he should be able to help Minnesota at least be competitive.

We shouldn’t take Sunday’s performance against the Texans for granted. After all, this is still Sam Darnold we’re talking about. Two good games and one great one shouldn’t wipe six years of mediocrity from our memory. Things could change at any moment.

But for now, soak it all in. It’s likely only a matter of time before those ghosts come back.