Vikings HC thinks Sam Darnold 'took a lot' from time with 49ers

It was previously mentioned how quarterback Sam Darnold impressed the Minnesota Vikings with how he performed for the San Francisco 49ers during a garbage-time appearance in the 49ers' 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night last year.

Coming off Darnold's stellar outing in Minnesota's 28-6 road win at the New York Giants this past Sunday, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke about what Darnold picked up in his lone campaign working with 49ers head coach and offensive guru Kyle Shanahan.

"I think Sam being around the Niners and Kyle and how he coached that group last year, I think he took a lot out of that, " O’Connell told reporters on Monday, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. " And then I think just the way he went about the daily, I really stressed to Sam throughout training camp as we installed plays, go through a process of how you were digesting that information, what you were doing at night, if we gave him information early, how he was going about trying to be comfortable with that. "

In the spring of 2023, one Niners insider raised some eyebrows when he somewhat controversially said that Darnold " might be...the most talented thrower of the football that the 49ers have ever had. " Darnold ultimately spent the bulk of last season serving as a backup behind Brock Purdy, and there was no guarantee after the Vikings made signal-caller J.J. McCarthy the 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft that Darnold would get the nod for the Week 1 match up at the Giants.

Of course, Minnesota's situation changed once McCarthy was sidelined indefinitely after he underwent a full meniscus repair in August. As Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer pointed out, Darnold completed 13 of his first 14 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown in what became a laugher at MetLife Stadium, where Darnold played home games with the New York Jets from 2018-20, this past Sunday.

According to ESPN stats, Darnold heads into Minnesota's Week 2 home game against none other than Shanahan's 49ers ranked eighth in the league with an 81.0 adjusted QBR and fifth with a 113.2 passer rating.

"I feel like I can’t take the big-picture view now—I just have to keep it one day at a time, " Darnold told Breer after the romp over the Giants. " That’s a cliché. But it’s a cliché for a reason, you know? If I just continue to take it a game at a time, one day at a time, I feel like I’ll be in a good spot. I’m not going to look big picture or what can be in the future because that would be doing me and this team a disservice. "

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Vikings as six-point home underdogs against a 49ers team that dominated the New York Jets en route to earning a 32-19 win on Monday night. Whispers about Darnold competing for Comeback Player of the Year Award honors could grow louder if he guides Minnesota to a 2-0 start this coming weekend.