NFL media and personnel departments were similarly enamored with Sam Darnold when he came out of Southern California. They were high on his arm strength and athleticism; in love with his traits and feel for the QB position.

Draft analyst Lance Zierlein said of the 2018 No. 3 overall pick: "There isn't a throw he fears."

Some perception changed of Darnold when issues protecting the ball his sophomore year at USC (13 interceptions and 11 fumbles) persisted in the NFL. He accounted for 64 touchdowns and 63 turnovers in his first four pro seasons. Naturally, a decline in expectations followed.

The tables have turned in 2024 thanks to the perfect fusion of confidence, coaching and culture.

Again, Darnold is drawing attention for arm talent, mobility and fearlessness. He's completing a personal-best 69.5% of his throws. He boasts the NFL's fourth-highest passer rating at 107.8 – above heralded quarterbacks Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. Darnold's 17 TD passes is tied-fourth in the league and so is his 8.5 yards per attempt. He's also run for 12 first downs, which ranks 14^th among QBs.

How surprising is his eight-game romp and career renaissance with the Vikings?

NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha on Monday dubbed it the biggest surprise so far this season, writing:

There was no buzz when the Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million deal in March. He'd become a journeyman quarterback, one who went from being a top-three pick of the Jets in 2018 to a player who couldn't keep a job in Carolina and eventually became a backup in San Francisco.

Originally, the 27-year-old Darnold was signed as a veteran option with Minnesota planning to use a high draft pick on a quarterback. The Vikings did, tabbing rookie J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall. They pushed each other during the offseason before McCarthy suffered a season-ending meniscus injury in his right knee in Minnesota's preseason opener. That left Darnold, viewed externally as a bridge to the future, as the present — and he's consistently proven he's more than competent; he's thriving at the controls of an offense that lets his skill set shine.

Chadiha continued. …

Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah deserves credit for pursuing Darnold as an option, while Head Coach Kevin O'Connell has done a fine job of coaching him up. But make no mistake: This doesn't happen if Darnold doesn't come in and prove he has the ability to do some of the things people projected upon him when he was a younger hotshot prospect. Darnold is a testament to what can happen when you give a talented player a strong supporting cast and reliable coaching. The Vikings, now 6-2 after Sunday night's win over Indianapolis, are a serious playoff contender because of that.

Chadiha runs through a range of halfway-point stories and trends in his weekly column, including an examination of the first nine weeks, distribution of midseason awards, and lookahead at player stocks.

Vikings offense takes step forward

The Vikings offense was shut out in the first half in Week 9. It also raised the bar in its overall execution.

Yes, both statements can be true.

Minnesota put up zero points in the initial 30 minutes Sunday night against the Colts for the first time in 2024. The offense was beleaguered by two missed field goals and two turnovers. And yet, Darnold and Co. executed at a high level, setting season highs in plays, first downs, total yards and time of possession.

So, what gives?

Kevin Seifert of ESPN on Tuesday explored how O’Connell tweaked the Vikings offense in their 21-13 win. The premise of change was casually referenced by wide receiver Justin Jefferson last Thursday at his weekly press conference. Jefferson shared that O'Connell had "kind of dialed it down for us" on offense.

Dialing it down happened to ramp up the production. The Vikings ran 71 plays, moved the chains 29 times, generated 415 yards of offense and possessed the football for nearly two-thirds of the game.

Seifert wrote the following:

Although it wasn't obvious to casual observers, Darnold surely benefitted from some frank internal discussions about the amount of responsibility he had been shouldering in what can be a complex offense with long play calls and multiple pre-snap decisions.

Speaking Monday, O'Connell said he cut back some of his "exotic" formations while also working to get the play in to Darnold earlier in the play clock than in previous weeks. In addition, the Vikings modestly reduced the frequency of pre-snap motion from 67.1% of their snaps in the first eight weeks to 54.2% against the Colts, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

Darnold has done so well navigating O'Connell's system and re-emerging as a starting quarterback, which skews the perspective of things. It's important to remember Darnold has spent about as much time learning the intent O'Connell has for each play – eight months – as a rookie picked in the 2024 NFL Draft.

That's a tough ask of anyone considering O'Connell is the coach equivalent of an All-Pro quarterback.

O'Connell has earned a reputation as one of the NFL's best play designers, and anyone watching in person or via All-22 video can see receivers breaking open on nearly every play. O'Connell often refers to an ideal of having an "answer" within the concept for any approach a defense might take.

That can be a lot for a quarterback to shoulder, however, and it's worth remembering that former starter Kirk Cousins talked openly about his own slow consumption of the scheme when O'Connell arrived in 2022.

Seifert gathered that a similar reality is what Jefferson seemed to be reflecting last week. The superstar pass-catcher said, "It doesn't have to be something that we draw up the best play that you've ever had."

"Jets" added that sometimes the best solution – a more practical one, too, because it's the Jimmys and Joes that ultimately are bringing the Xs and Os to life – is allowing the players to "go out there and play."

The result on Sunday Night Football suggests O'Connell and his staff are in lockstep with their players.

"I just think coaching in general, as much as we try to hold the pen, as much as we try to give our players an advantage for their benefit, it's just a constant evaluation and reflection of the value received off of the things we do," O'Connell said recently. "It could be great on one play, and then it could cause some things to be either hard to execute ... or putting a little bit more on Sam's plate and [say], 'Hey, do we need to do that?' Well, it'd be great to do it, but let's be smart about this and treat each individual phase as, 'How do we build the best game plan to have success this week?' I think to the naked eye it might look the same; to our players they might feel [like we're dialing things down], and that's the intent."