CHICAGO -- For all the good that Sam Darnold has done for the Minnesota Vikings this season, one accomplishment in particular had eluded him: Leading a game-winning drive. So all eyes were on Darnold when he jogged to his 21-yard line for the second possession of overtime Sunday at Soldier Field.
Any cynic feared the worst: a turnover that would deliver the Chicago Bears a most improbable victory.
Any optimist hoped it would be Darnold's signature moment to date as the Vikings' QB.
Any realist figured there was roughly the same likelihood of each outcome.
The first play was a point for the cynic. Darnold misread the defensive alignment and changed the play from a run to a pass, leading to a sack. Coach Kevin O'Connell said later he was "disappointed" with the decision but quickly viewed it as an opportunity: "I kind of wanted to see how he would respond."
Darnold left little doubt from that point until the moment the Vikings secured a 30-27 victory. He tossed a 7-yard pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson on second-and-17, the first of six consecutive completions for a total of 90 yards that got the Vikings in position for Parker Romo's 29-yard game-clinching field goal.
When it was over, Darnold had thrown for a season-high 330 yards and two touchdowns, leaving O'Connell gushing about his quarterback when speaking to reporters.
"Across the board, show me somebody that had a better game at the quarterback position," O'Connell said.
O'Connell acknowledged that Bears rookie Caleb Williams could probably challenge for that title after leading his team to 11 points in the final 22 seconds to send the game to overtime. But for Darnold, Sunday proved an important extension of his response to a two-game stretch earlier this month when he had six turnovers.
Over the past two games, Darnold completed has 42 of 66 passes for 576 yards while accounting for five touchdowns. His only turnover during that stretch was a missed connection on a toss play to running back Aaron Jones.
If anything, he has leaned into a career-long mantra of not overthinking his reads and assignments.
"I really do think it's as simple as that," Darnold said. "Just not trying to do too much. If I feel like I've got to scramble out of the pocket, and it's not there, just throw it away. Or, if sometimes I need to take a sack, I'm willing to do that. Continue to play within the system and within the game, and we'll continue to play solid as an offense."
Darnold was being a bit modest, of course. There have been tangible examples of his progress within the Vikings' offense, including one that O'Connell highlighted after Sunday's game.
If you saw something familiar in the 45-yard pass Darnold threw to Jordan Addison on the final play of the first quarter, you were not alone. The play concept was similar to one the Vikings ran in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts. In that instance, however, Darnold did not look at Addison, and instead forced the ball to receiver Justin Jefferson over the middle. The resulting interception was one of five this season on passes intended for Jefferson.
"It was a pretty similar look, and we had some dialogue about that," O'Connell said. "If they want to play tight down there in the boundary, [I told] Sam to be ready. That was one of the prettier throws I've seen."
But there was nothing more notable Sunday than watching Darnold lead the Vikings' final drive, especially after three plays that made progress more difficult: the sack, a false start on tight end Johnny Mundt, and an offensive holding penalty against left guard Blake Brandel. As a result, Darnold overcame second-and-17, first-and-15 and first-and-20 to keep the drive alive. That included passes of 13 yards to Addison, 20 to Jefferson and 29 to Hockenson to get the ball to the Bears' 9-yard line.
The NFL world has been waiting for Darnold to return to his old habits, having washed out with two franchises and spent a season as a backup before signing with the Vikings last spring. He has been far from perfect, and his No. 15 ranking in QBR accurately represents his proficiency relative to other NFL quarterbacks.
But he has worked to curb his turnovers without losing any of the big plays that helped power the Vikings' early-season surge, and he has already exceeded his career high in touchdown passes (20) and total touchdowns (22). There are clear examples of him learning from mistakes, and it's all happening at exactly the time of year the Vikings need it.
Sunday, O'Connell got nostalgic when asked about Darnold returning to the game only two plays after appearing to injure his ankle. He said that he had asked Darnold over the headset to give a thumbs up if he felt like a six or better on a scale of 1-10.
Darnold flashed a thumbs-up.
Was he an 8?
Darnold flashed another thumbs up, along with a signal to stop asking.
It brought to mind O'Connell's recollection of watching Darnold play in the 2017 Cotton Bowl for USC, where he took a beating from Ohio State's defense.
"I learned everything I needed to know then about his toughness and his makeup," O'Connell said. "To be willing to stare down some real pressure every single snap he dropped back, I think he's a mentally tough guy. I think he's a physically tough guy. I think he's confident in the guys around him, and I think he's confident in our system.
"And I think when he just continues to play quarterback at a high level, we're a tough team. I really do. And playing quarterback at a high level may simply be feet, eyes, rhythm and ... putting the ball in play. He's done a really nice job of that two weeks in a row."
