Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold was hurt in the first quarter of the Week 5 game against the New York Jets in London. After a hot start to the season, Darnold being down on the field is a nightmare scenario for the Vikings, who are also without rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy after a training camp injury.
Let’s take a look at what happened to Darnold, and the latest injury updates for the Vikings’ QB.
What Happened to Sam Darnold?
Darnold took a shot to the right mid-section from Jet’s LB Chazz Surratt. He left the field under his own power and missed one play before returning to the field.
However, Darnold was only on the field for one more play in the drive when he got hurt. He failed to connect with Ty Chandler on a pitch, resulting in the Jets’ fumble recovery.
Vikings QB Sam Darnold was down on the field in pain after taking a hard shot on this play.pic.twitter.com/LUmBij8Po1
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 6, 2024
At the time of his injury, Darnold was 4 for 6 for 45 yards passing. On the play he was injured, Darnold was targeting Justin Jefferson, whom he had targeted on five of his first six passes.
Darnold continued in the game when the Vikings’ offense was back on the field after their defense turned over the Jets’ offense twice. During the next drive, he did not appear to be showing any signs of injury during or after plays.
Darnold was not at his efficiency best in the second quarter. He went 2-for-7 for 38 yards while being sacked twice, losing 15 yards. Darnold went to the half with a stat line of 6-for-13 for 83 yards and a passer rating of 67.1. The Vikings’ QB looked indecisive on the Vikings’ final drive of the half and took a hard hit on a sack. He appeared fine as he left the field for the half, where he will likely be further evaluated.
Darnold finished the game 14 of 31 for 179 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He also took four sacks. Despite the difficult stat line, the Vikings improved to a perfect 5-0 on the season.
Darnold said after the game, “Yeah, I think I feel good. Obviously we got things rolling. But like I said, man, there’s so much room for improvement. For us to be able to go out there against a really good team and get a win like that shows you a lot about our resilience as a team, and as an offense, too, I think just going down, we would have loved to have scored a touchdown or to score a touchdown on that last drive.”
MORE: Aaron Jones’ Injury Update: Latest News on Vikings RB Exiting Game
Backup QB Nick Mullens took one snap, hitting Aaron Jones for 24 yards before leaving the game again. With McCarthy out for the season, Mullens would likely be the Vikings’ starting QB if Darnold were to miss time with an injury.
The only other QB on the Vikings’ roster is Brett Rypien, who was inactive in Week 5. However, he is dressed as the third QB in case of an emergency.
The Vikings’ offense also suffered the loss of running back Aaron Jones, who left the game with a hip injury. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Jones will have an MRI on Monday.
Live: Coach O'Connell Press Conference https://t.co/co53EPLY0k
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 6, 2024
After the game, Kevin O’Connell did not mention Darnold among the injury updates. That is a positive sign that the quarterback did not deal with any further issues after briefly leaving the game. We could get a further update if Darnold develops any stiffness on the flight back. If not, we may not find anything else out until the Vikings practice in Week 7 after their bye week.
Potential Fantasy Fallout From Darnold’s Injury
Darnold has completely revived his career in Minnesota and has been playing like a legitimate MVP candidate through the first month of the season.
If Darnold has to miss time, Jefferson’s volume would be safe, but he would go from an elite WR1 to more of a back-end WR1.
Jordan Addison’s already tenuous fantasy value would be further damaged. It’s hard to imagine Mullens supporting more than just Jefferson. Expect a heavy dose of Aaron Jones, who looks like he’s aged in reverse by about five years.
Hopefully, Darnold avoids anything long term and doesn’t miss any time, maintaining the fantasy values of Jefferson, Addison, and the rest of the Vikings’ elite offense.
With Mullens at QB, Jefferson averages 14.55 PPR fantasy points per game, which is slightly lower than the 17.24 PPR fantasy points per game he averages with Darnold. He’s also more efficient in terms of returns compared to expected fantasy points when he has Darnold throwing him the ball.
All stats from TruMedia, unless stated.