SEATTLE – Sam Darnold was a man besieged. Surrounded by large, screaming men, his arms pinned to his sides, he couldn’t move, and breathing was becoming a problem.
He had played impeccably all afternoon despite defenders enveloping him like the perpetual Seattle mist, scrambling and spinning in the pocket, firing passes that defied geometry, if not physics. And now, in the gloaming, he was taking a beating.
“I think I slobbered on him,” Dalton Risner said.
Risner plays guard for the Vikings, and he was among those slapping Darnold on the helmet and back, because Darnold had just made the play of the season, if not Darnold’s entire life.
The Vikings trailed the Seattle Seahawks by four points late in the fourth quarter. They took the ball on their 30, then Darnold went to work. Twelve yards to Justin Jefferson. A scramble for 9. A facemask penalty led to a first down at the Seattle 39 with 3:58 remaining.
Darnold dropped back, felt pressure and rushed forward. Jefferson spun and went deep. Darnold, without breaking stride, hit him with the winning touchdown pass in the Vikings’ 27-24 victory, and then his offensive linemen surrounded him, looking like bears ripping bark off a tree.
“I mean, dear gosh, I’ve been a part of a lot of football teams, and it’s just unbelievable, whether it’s Justin Jefferson or him, just for us to be able to make plays like that in crunch time in an environment like that,” Risner said. “Doesn’t surprise me, but it’s just freaking fun to be a part of. We were just saying, ‘Dude, way to make a freaking play.’”
The numbers justified the emotions. Against a quality defense in a roaring stadium in the rain, with the first seed in the NFC playoffs within reach, Darnold completed 22 of 35 passes for 246 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 112.3 passer rating.
