Two weeks ago, talk-show host Colin Cowherd was trying to decide who he trusts more in the playoffs. He was debating who he trusts more in the playoffs, Sam Darnold or Lamar Jackson.
Based upon their games this weekend, Cowherd should have sided with Jackson.
Sam Darnold Lays an Egg Against Rams, Cowherd Wrong Again
Cowherd sided with Darnold over Jackson in terms of who he’d trust in a playoff scenario. It will be interesting how he walks that back after their respective performances.
“Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, who do you trust more in a playoff game,” Cowherd said. “Are you sure it’s Lamar?”
Darnold was simply awful against the Los Angeles Rams Monday night. He was sacked eight times by the middle of the fourth quarter (eventually took a ninth sack) and looked like he could not get out of his own way.
Jackson was 16/21 for 175 yards and tossed two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday afternoon. He directed his team to a convincing 28-14 win that was not as close as the score would indicate. Jackson also ran for 81 yards on 15 carries.
Jackson had an A+ grade in the PFN QB Rankings and was No. 1. From PFN Analyst Ben Rolfe:
“It was not a vintage performance from Jackson in Week 18. He finished with a C grade in the Baltimore Ravens’ blowout win over the Cleveland Browns. This game could easily have been a Jackson showcase, but the Ravens did not make it so. Jackson still threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns, yet he only completed 50% of his passes.
He finished the game with just a 0.06 EPA/DB [expected points added per dropback], which ranked 15th on the week, with his play from a clean pocket being the most underwhelming (0.04 EPA/DB; 20th). However, he stood up on third down with a 54.5% third-down conversion rate, and there was nothing that you can consider as being negative in his performance.
Week 18 won’t have done much to further the MVP debate, with Jackson’s middling performance and Josh Allen only playing one snap. However, we have an entire body of work to look back on with which to make that assessment, and Jackson’s numbers are incredibly impressive.
Across the season, his QB+ number is even better than his incredible 2019 MVP season. Jackson leads the league in EPA/DB (0.31), nYPA (8.5) [net yards per attempt], TD/INT rate (10.3), and tied for the league total touchdowns (45). He’s also first in the NFL in performances from a clean pocket (0.51 EPA/DB) and second when pressured (-0.00).
Although Jackson’s performance at the end of the season hasn’t been as dominant as we might have hoped, he’s still a top-five quarterback over the last four weeks. And across the entire season, Jackson has three games graded as an A- or above and just two graded below a C-.”
Exactly two weeks ago, my man @ColinCowherd wasn't quite sure which QB he trusts more in the playoffs…. Lamar Jackson or Sam Darnold.
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/SFdUu7ltx7
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) January 14, 2025
Darnold was flat out awful on Monday night.
There is no comparing Darnold and Jackson. Jackson is by far the superior athlete and better quarterback. Darnold was a one-hit wonder with the Vikings this year. He showed that J.J. McCarthy is the future of the franchise.
Darnold, who was in line for a big pay day in the offseason, lost a lot of money over the last two games. He played poorly against Detroit in the Motor City in Week 18 and was even worse against the Rams.
According to the PFN QB Rankings, Darnold was ranked 12th in the league. Darnold’s final regular-season ranking was not as glowing:
“Darnold couldn’t have picked a worse time to have his worst game of the 2024 season than Week 18. He finished the week ranked 30th out of 31 qualified quarterbacks this week, with only Carson Wentz and his band of merry backups behind him.
Darnold posted a -0.49 EPA/DB, with negative numbers both from a clean pocket (-0.31 EPA/DB; 28th) and when pressured (-0.69; 25th). He converted on just 23.1% of third downs (25th) and had just 3.5 nYPA despite getting 6.3 YAC/Cp [yards after catch per completion].
Darnold completed just 43.9% of his passes and was exceptionally poor inside Lions territory with a -0.76 EPA/DB.
This was largely an atypical performance from Darnold for this season. He has just four performances graded as D+ or below compared to six B- or below grades. Darnold finished eighth in nYPA at 7.3, despite averaging just 4.9 YAC/Cp, and was 11th when operating from a clean pocket (0.29 EPA/DB).
The one thing that does raise some alarm bells is that Darnold has had issues inside the opposing half on a couple of occasions. He finished the season ranked 30th with a -0.08 EPA/DB in those situations.”
For the most part, Darnold got away with it in the regular season. But under the bright lights of the NFL playoffs, the Vikings cannot afford their starting quarterback to wilt.