What you can’t do if you’re Darnold is give away points. Sunday, Darnold gave away so many points that just about any NFL quarterback other than Jones would have capitalized.
After the game, O’Connell indicated that he never considered benching Darnold. That’s the right decision for now, in part because the Vikings could easily win their next two games — against Tennessee and the collapsing Bears — even if Darnold continues to implode.
The Jaguars team that intercepted him three times entered the game with two interceptions. This was not Darnold being harassed into mistakes, or having Deion Sanders-like cornerbacks stealing quality passes. This was Darnold making bad decisions and compounding them with bad accuracy.
All three of his interceptions resulted from passes to star receiver Justin Jefferson. On the first, Jefferson was well covered, and Darnold’s pass was popped into the air for a linebacker to catch. On the second, Jefferson appeared to be open in the end zone, and Darnold’s pass was low and behind him. His third interception was simply a terrible throw.
What’s alarming is that Darnold is faltering even with Hockenson in the lineup. Sunday, Hockenson caught eight of nine targets for 72 yards. Between Jefferson, Hockenson, Aaron Jones, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor and the suddenly-surging Oliver, Darnold has as many weapons as any quarterback in the NFL with the exception of Lamar Jackson and Jared Goff.
In the past, Darnold would play well for a few weeks, regress and lose his job.
