Extent of Sam Darnold’s knee injury revealed
The Minnesota Vikings were given a scare on Sunday when Sam Darnold suffered a knee injury, but fortunately the quarterback is not dealing with anything serious.
Darnold was hit low by defensive end Danielle Hunter during the third quarter of the Vikings’ 34-7 win over the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. The quarterback got up under his own power but appeared to be in serious pain and went back to the turf.
sam darnold injury pic.twitter.com/ZBxPH46em0
— ◇ (@HOODH3RO) September 22, 2024
Darnold briefly left the game, but Vikings fans were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief when he returned later in the drive.
On Monday, the Vikings announced that Darnold underwent a precautionary MRI that revealed no structural damage. He has officially been diagnosed with a knee bruise. Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell later told reporters that Darnold is “a little sore” but should have a fairly normal week of preparation ahead of next Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.
Coach O’Connell gives update on Darnold pic.twitter.com/FJbF98QN18
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 23, 2024
Given how the injury looked initially, that is great news for Darnold and the Vikings.
Darnold has been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL thus far in 2024. He has completed 67.9% of his passes across three games for 657 yards and 8 touchdowns, which leads the league. The Vikings are 3-0 and appear to be a legitimate playoff contender, so losing Darnold would have been a major blow to their chances.
