As the final seconds ticked away during Sunday's game between the Vikings and Falcons, Sam Darnold began pacing the sideline.
With a 42-21 victory – the sixth consecutive for Minnesota and 11th in 13 games in 2024 – already in hand, Darnold emphatically waved a towel around, prompting the announced crowd of 67,008 at U.S. Bank Stadium to erupt even louder with "MVP" chants.
It was a fitting conclusion to a near-perfect performance by Darnold, who – similar to a maestro – conducted his offense with precision and expertise.
Darnold completed 22 of 28 passes and set career highs in passing yards (347), touchdowns (five) and passer rating (157.9) in a game. The 157.9 rating is also a franchise record and just shy of the NFL maximum mark of 158.3.
Darnold also became the fourth QB (seventh instance) in team history and the first since Daunte Culpepper in 2004 to throw five-plus touchdowns in a game.
Three of Darnold's touchdowns went to Jordan Addison (a career-high) while the other two found Justin Jefferson, as the two receivers combined for a historic day in pass catching. Addison – who became the first Vikings receiver to grab three touchdowns in a game since Stefon Diggs in 2019 – led Minnesota with eight catches for 133 yards while Jefferson hauled in seven receptions for 132 yards.
Jefferson's two scores marked his first time in the end zone since Oct. 20 against the Lions, ending a drought of six consecutive games without a touchdown. He also surpassed the 7,000-yard receiving mark for his career, becoming the youngest player in NFL history to do so at 25 years and 175 days of age.
Jefferson and Addison also became the first Vikings duo and just the fifth instance leaguewide in the Super Bowl era to each record 130-plus receiving yards and two or more touchdowns in a game.
To top it all off, the Vikings scored 40-plus points for the first time in a game since 2019, when they defeated Detroit 42-30.
It was not only a record-setting day for Darnold and Co. on the offensive end, but an incredibly positive afternoon for a Vikings team in pursuit of their second division title in three seasons under Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.
Call it an ode to "pure joy," if you will.
Minnesota's (11-2) win over Atlanta (6-7) helped boost the Vikings in this week's Power Rankings, with the biggest jump being four spots. Here's where the Vikings rank going into Week 15:
No. 5 (no change): Eric Edholm, NFL.com
The Vikings have run their winning streak to six and have found a few new gears on offense the past handful of games. Sam Darnold threw for a career-best five TDs against the Falcons, the run game bounced back in a big way and Vikings had their first turnover-free game since October. It's to the point where we should be thinking about the proper Darnold questions now. "Can he perform in the playoffs?" has turned into, "Is Darnold in the MVP race?" Another shift to consider: pondering not how much money Darnold can make as a free agent, but whether the Vikings should try to keep him for 2025, with J.J. McCarthy coming off ACL surgery. That last one is for down the road, though. Right now, the Vikings are starting to roll, beginning to resemble the powerhouse suggested by their gaudy 11-2 record. The 13-4 season in 2022 might have felt like fool's gold, but this one is passing the purity test.
No. 4 (up 1 spot): NFL Staff, Bleacher Report
There isn't a more surprising success story this season than the resurgence of quarterback Sam Darnold with the Minnesota Vikings this season.
Darnold hit something like a midseason bump where he struggled with turnovers. But in Week 14 against the Atlanta Falcons, he looked like an elite signal-caller. The seventh-year veteran had one more incompletion (six) than touchdown passes (five). Darnold was the first Vikings quarterback in 20 years to throw five scores, and his passer rating of 157.9 was a franchise record.
After the win, Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson talked up his quarterback while speaking to reporters.
"Sam's been playing great this whole year, but especially these last few weeks, he's had some big drives at the end of games. And then this week, obviously the second half that we had, it was a lot of fun to watch him work and ball a little bit," Hockenson said. "I mean, he had a great game. The first time in 20 years that a (Vikings) quarterback threw five touchdowns, that's insane. So, it was a lot of fun. I'm glad that he's on our side."
Bleacher Report NFL analyst Kristopher Knox said the following: "The Detroit Lions aren't giving up ground in the NFC North, and they continue to overshadow the Vikings. However, Minnesota is among the handful of NFC teams that could realistically make a push to the Super Bowl. The Vikings don't have a shut-down defense, but a solid front, a strong pass rush, and a penchant for turnovers make it good enough. Sam Darnold appears to be over his midseason slump, and he has an embarrassment of playmakers at his disposal. And the No. 1 seed still isn't out of the question for Minnesota."
No. 4 (up 1 spot): Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
After a home game with the Bears, [the Vikings] schedule toughens down the stretch with a road game at Seattle, a home game against the Packers and a road game at the Lions. We will find out a lot about this team in the final four games.
No. 5 (up 4 spots): Nate Davis, USA Today
[The Vikings are] 11-2. Seriously, they're 11-2 and have just as good a shot as the Eagles of stealing home-field advantage from Detroit. Coming off a career performance Sunday (347 yards, 5 TDs passing), the future of QB Sam Darnold, who's on an expiring contract, is going to be one of the offseason's most fascinating topics.
No. 3 (up 2 spots): Josh Kendall, The Athletic
Calling [Aaron Jones, Sr.,] a breakout player is stretching the term, but the impact players in Minnesota are all known names, and Jones has added an element to his game this season. He has 37 catches for 302 yards to go with 893 rushing yards, already his second-best total since 2020. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry against the Falcons on Sunday.
No. 4 (no change): Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated
I could tell this was going to be a Sam Darnold heater game from his first completion to Jordan Addison, which was a beautiful second-read throw. After Justin Jefferson was covered coming off pre-snap motion, Darnold went second level and hit Addison as he was fading out of bounds. The Vikings offensive line should be thankful; they were heavily vulnerable in the early portions of this game, giving up some big sacks on three- and four-man pressures that were as simple as a guy getting beat.
No. 3 (up 2 spots): Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
The Vikings have been questioned for some holes in their defense and having limited balance to help them on offense. But when they're rolling with Sam Darnold and his weapons in the passing game and coming up with key pressure and turnovers, they can beat anybody.
No. 5 (no change): Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports
The Vikings still have hard games left against the Lions, Packers and Seahawks, and the Bears might not be a pushover. Still, they keep winning. A Week 18 game between a 14-2 Vikings team and 14-2 Lions team for the NFC North title isn't a stretch.
