Darnold throws 3 TDs, Vikings show resilience after consecutive losses

The Minnesota Vikings returned to the winning list on Sunday night after coming out strong in the second half to defeat the feisty Indianapolis Colts, who had held them scoreless in the first 30 minutes. Minnesota emerged with a 21-13 victory as Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes and proved that a few turnovers wouldn't derail him.

Darnold is a very interesting player to study. After moving the ball up and down the field in the early going and having no points on the field, the quarterback didn't panic. He took a deep breath and started again after halftime.

He threw touchdown passes to Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor and Josh Oliver, and that was enough to overcome two interceptions and a sack/strip/recovery that was returned for a touchdown by the Colts in the second quarter.

Darnold was more than resilient in the game. He was incredibly accurate despite the interceptions, completing 28 of 34 passes for 290 yards. There were several points in the game — particularly in the first half — when the Colts' pass rush breathed fire, hitting Darnold as he tried to pass in the pocket. If Darnold wasn't worthy, he would have been finished by the four sacks he suffered and the other hard hits he took in the game.

He's not an MVP candidate, as some claimed earlier in the season when he led the Vikings to surprising – shocking – victories over the 49ers, Texans and Packers. But he's a good, solid quarterback who's a lot better than the player who struggled in the first six years of his career with the Jets and Panthers before taking on a backup role with the Niners.

We give credit to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell for bringing him into the squad, making him feel like a worthy starter and then showing him the path to success. This is probably O'Connell's greatest strength. He knows how to handle quarterbacks and he can lead them to significant improvement by working on their confidence and helping them hone their skills. This makes O'Connell significantly better than most head coaches who don't have these skills.

“My trust in Sam will be a significant asset to our football team,” O'Connell said.

The Vikings are a solid team at this point in the year, and when they face the Bears in Chicago in Week 12, there's an excellent chance they'll have a record of 8-2. Their journey through the AFC South continues in road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7) and Tennessee Titans (2-6) over the next two weeks, and neither of those teams should beat the Vikings.

That also applies to the Bears, a team that has suffered back-to-back brutal losses and dropped to last place in the NFC North. Chicago's coaching staff is under fire and its rookie quarterback is taking too much abuse at this point in the season.

The Vikings will be tested several times after Thanksgiving, and it will be up to Darnold, Justin Jefferson, TJ Hockenson and Aaron Jones to get the job done on offense while Brian Flores directs a formidable defense.

This unit has a chance to return to its best when linebacker Blake Cashman returns from his turf toe injury. That will likely happen against the Jaguars. But even if the team is functioning at its highest level, the Vikings are not at the same level as the Detroit Lions or possibly a healthy 49ers team.

The Lions are the best team in the NFC and appear to have a significant lead. The Vikings are in a group with the Packers, Falcons and Eagles at this point and will need to continue to improve if they want to show they can compete with the NFC's most dangerous opponents.

While Minnesota has performed well so far, its biggest tests will come in the final four weeks of the season.