MINNEAPOLIS — He tumbled to the turf and immediately reached for his left knee. It wasn’t obvious at first. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold had dumped off a pass, and most eyes moved with the football to running back Aaron Jones , who caught the screen and cut toward the middle of the field.
Once Jones was tackled, you couldn’t help but notice. There Darnold was, lying on the ground behind the play. Advertisement Almost everything had gone right for the Vikings until this moment late in the third quarter.
They were well on their way to handing the Houston Texans a 34-7 humbling on Sunday, but now the familiar feeling returned. That pit in the stomach, the one people in these parts have felt so many times when they’ve begun to believe and then had their hopes dashed. GO DEEPER Sam Darnold's 4 TDs power Vikings to 34-7 win vs.
Texans: Takeaways “I always get nervous on stuff like that,” said superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson . Left tackle Christian Darrisaw watched as Darnold climbed to his feet, put his hands on his hips and started limping. Jones heard Darnold’s agonized grunts and wondered what had happened.
Jefferson walked toward Darnold and listened as trainers ran him through tests. Head coach Kevin O’Connell knelt nearby. The fans were silent.
You could almost hear their internal monologue: No way, not after this start to the season. Come on! In March, the Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year contract in free agency, and while he was alw.