Sam Darnold Just Did Something No Other Vikings Quarterback Has Ever Done

For Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, maybe the fourth time is the charm.

Minnesota is Darnold's fourth team, and while the overall mindset of fans going into the season seemed to be high hopes and low expectations, he has been lighting things up.

Darnold was the #3 pick overall for the Jets in 2018, playing there for three seasons before joining the Panthers for two seasons, then serving as a backup for the 49ers last year.

The Vikings trounced the Texans in a 34-7 statement game where Darnold threw for four touchdowns and became the league leader in passing touchdowns among all NFL quarterbacks through three games. Not bad for a guy that the league seemed to have written off as a bust.

Now, I know we're only three games into the season, but his early performance has actually made two different pieces of football history. One for his team, and the other league-wide.

No other Vikings quarterback has done this - Not even the legends!

NFL Stats dropped some interesting facts coming out of Sunday's games for Week 3. One of those stats is that after his 4-touchdown game at US Bank Stadium against the Texans, Darnold achieved something no other Vikings quarterback has ever done.

Even legendary names like Daunte Culpepper, Brett Favre, Randall Cunningham or Fran Tarkenton didn't achieve this during their careers in purple.

What is it?

Darnold is the first Vikings quarterback in team history to ever start the season with a perfect 3-0 record while throwing multiple touchdowns in each game. He threw 2 against the Giants, 2 more against the 49ers, and 4 against the Texans to give him a league-leading 8 passing touchdowns so far this season.

Darnold enters rare company in NFL history

The other fun fact NFL Stats dropped is Darnold is now one of only two players since the start of the Super Bowl era to win his first three games with a new team while also throwing multiple touchdowns in each of those three games.

Who else did it?

Matthew Stafford did it in his first year with the Rams in 2021, eventually going on to throw for 41 touchdowns throughout the season and lead his team to a Super Bowl win.

Now, I'm not saying that means the Vikings are Super Bowl-bound, but in nearly 60 years, the only other person to do what Darnold did went on to win the big game.

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NFL Stats also pointed out that Darnold's head coach and play-caller Kevin O'Connell also happened to be the offensive coordinator for Stafford in that Super Bowl-winning season.

So, as a Vikings fan, those are all very exciting facts to have on your side - but they don't guarantee anything. While I'm excited the team is off to the start it is, I'm still approaching it like the team says it is - one game at a time, enjoying the wins as they come.

SKOL!