The Vikings have had an interesting season in terms of the quarterback position. After sticking with J.J. McCarthy to start his tenure as the franchise leader, the team has not had much stability due to one curveball or another being thrown their way.
While not everything has gone their way, the quarterbacks they let walk have had a decent amount of success come their way.
Both Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold are on new teams in 2025, and they both are playing well above expectations. For Jones, the Colts are 5-1 and have the best record in the AFC, while Darnold has the Seahawks at 4-2 and has them looking like they can still have an explosive passing game. Meanwhile, the Vikings have used both McCarthy and backup quarterback Carson Wentz due to injury.
Not that Vikings fans want to read this, but Darnold is even leading the NFL in one category. PFF’s Nick Akridge broke down which passers are leading the league in various categories, and Darnold has a PFF grade of 98.7 when the pocket is kept clean for him.
Akridge writes, “Darnold continues to play like one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks. He currently holds the highest passing grade in PFF’s season rankings and was elite from a clean pocket on Sunday. Darnold went 13-of-19 for 268 yards and four big-time throws, earning the highest clean-pocket passing grade this season.”
Vikings fans will say, “Well, of course that’s the case,” after seeing him crumble at the end of the year. The Vikings’ offensive line struggled to keep him clean, which led to their offensive line overhaul. So seeing Darnold playing well with a clean pocket makes sense, but the number is still impressive as it is near perfect.
