Why Minnesota Vikings MISS Sam Darnold with J.J. McCarthy struggles | Colin Cowherd NFL

Welcome to the official YouTube channel for the Colin Coward podcast. Go on, hit that subscribe button if you’re new so you don’t miss any of our great football content this season. All right, Pittsburgh I thought it was one of the shocking performances of the day, but in hindsight it’s sort of explainable. Pittsburgh 24, Minnesota 21. Uh started for me 8:30 in the morning. Um I thought it was my favorite bet of the week. Um, but then all of a sudden, uh, they they had three backup offensive linemen and the Steelers I felt Kevin Oonnell came into the game with a game plan and so did Brian Flores and they didn’t adjust, but I think Kevin O’Connell couldn’t adjust. Um, listen, I Aaron played the best game I think Aaron’s played in a couple years. I really did. I He and DK Metaf have a clear connection. I thought the Steelers offensive line today, John, the Steelers have not developed a consistent run game in six years. I thought they ran the ball today effectively. I don’t know. I I looked at Pittsburgh and I’m like, Jesus, this is the best Steeler performance. And again, they were missing three linemen. Vikings were a mess on the O line, but we can’t make excuses. Baltimore’s defense, you you got to make plays. I thought Pittsburgh that was a great performance by them. If you would have told me at the beginning of the day, and I know some of this was a little bit garbage time, but went through for 350 yards, I’d be like I would have bet a lot more money on the Vikings. You know, uh I’m with you. I I thought for the first time in four games, a little bit last week, but they look like a physical team start to finish. You know, Gainwell ran for 99 yards. If you just gave the Steelers every week a 100redyard rusher, they’re going to have a chance because you know the days of Aaron throwing for 375 yards are done. But what he can do is a little bit like today 20 or 24 220 yards and part of giving DK a lot of money which was pretty risky. Every once in a while he’s going to take it 80 yards and cut across the field and run by everybody. So if over the course of the season DK gives you 10 touchdowns and three or four of them are like that today. Yes, they usually are. But you got to play good defense. They had six sacks. They were all over Wentz and you know they were hitting really hard. Now they did lose Ramsay at the end of the game, but to me there was a physicality to their team start to finish that had kind of been lacking and and I do wonder, you know, if Tomlin I mean part of h is that rahrrah let’s what is going on here? And I think their defense kind of been getting called out and came to play today. And and I would say the same thing for their offensive line because part of the reason every single human alive loved Minnesota. It’s like, well, Flores against this offense, what’s going to happen? Steelers Steelers line and run game has been a six-year disappointment. I mean, I’m watching today and I’m like, I this now again, have I watched every Steeler drive in every Steeler game, but over the last six years, I honestly felt watching that game, that was the most hopeful Steeler win. I’m like, well, that didn’t they could they could go on the road and win the playoff game. Like I I was I mean so much of this league in a passing league is can you consistently run the ball first like first you don’t want your quarterback throwing 40 times especially an old quarterback. Secondly it keeps your defense off the field and I think Pittsburgh’s defense you have some older players JJ Watt was great today but you you have some older players and new players. So you you don’t want your you don’t want your guys on the field for 66 plays. I I mean I wrote down four or five different times uh wow impressed Steeler O line dot dot dot really great today. Yeah. I mean at one point the game was 21-6. Yeah. To to me they were creating turnovers. They had a bunch of sacks. I I can imagine and listen I know the Vikings won 100 to nothing last week against Jake Browning and the Bengals but every single person with the Steelers said we’re not flying to Dublin, Ireland to lose to Carson Wentz. like that that is not happening on our watch. Hell, I woke up the game started at 6:30 for me and it was 14-3 and and DK had just had that play and then you just watched the rest of the game and again it was they got some late touchdowns. You know, Rogers is screaming to go forward at the end. They get denied at like the one yardd line, right, when he wanted to basically ice the game. And a couple plays later, they score. So all of a sudden, I think it was like 24 to 14 and then all of a sudden it’s 24-21 and they still got a couple a minute or two before the two-minute warning. You’re like, whoa. And I think, you know, Rogers, I think, is trying to make the Tomlin a little unconservative. I think their nature would never have been to do that, but he kind of got to overrule him there and which I didn’t mind. They had to go 99 yards with Carson Wentz and then all of a sudden they I think they like blew a coverage to Jordan Addison. They got lucky that he didn’t score. You know, the guy made a great play to kind of beline him down at the end. But I I’m with you. Besides a couple freak plays, the Steelers not only D, they leaned on Minnesota, who I think we all agreed pretty tough, physical team. It’s not like they are soft by any means, especially you could they kept showing Flores. Flores had to look like what is going on. And listen, sometimes you fly across these international game, what Minnesota is playing backtoback international games in two different countries, you know, that could really throw you off. And I I heard you talking about it last week on TV. Like you draft this guy really high, he misses all season last year and now he’s out for six or seven games with an ankle. Like let’s let’s call it what it is. Sam Darnold’s leading game-winning drives. It’s kind of a disastrous situation. You be like, “Well, John, it’s early.” We’ve talked a lot about you don’t get much time anymore. Like and you just let a quarterback go. It’s it’s a problem. And Carson Wentz is actually more impressive than I thought. I mean, it’s that guy was just on his couch. He’s actually pretty got some talent in his body still. But like you drafted this guy in the top 15 to be your quarterback of a 14- win team and he’s just sitting there eating sunflower seeds. Like it’s kind of a big problem. Yeah. I mean Michael Pennix today I thought made some big time throws. Drake May, they’re not asking him to do a ton, but Drake May today they’re dropping 42 points. So we know Bo Nicks can play. He gets an extra day against the Bengals defense. Um yeah, I mean I I I I wasn’t a JJ McCarthy fan. You know, it’s interesting. I I’ve been told this this has been a line that I’ve used many times is don’t try to validate your previous choices. And I listen they wanted to sign Sam Darnold. They were very interested. They and John Snyder came in and you know they were willing to pay more. And Sam Darnold frankly you know probably if you asked him would have wanted to stay Justin Jefferson Kevin Oonnell. Yeah. I mean I Yeah. I mean, and by the way, in that division that’s not a great defensive division, now you go out and have to face like, you know, Abosa at the time and the Rams front twice a year. I mean, Sam Darnold follows the league. I’d rather stay in Minnesota in the offensive division than go and have to face McVey and Shanahan. And Arizona’s got a defensive coach. They got players. So, I I you know, it’s it’s you and I both believed in Darnold. But when you watch Darnold play and you watch JJ McCarthy, Sam’s bigger, thicker, bigger arm, there’s a reason they offered him. But I think did did they get into a situation where they’re like, “Well, we drafted him.” Yeah, 100%. There’s When’s the last time the Vikings, it was like forever the Chiefs, they they’ve never had a drafted quarterback play well. So, there was all this pressure. you know, the GM who’s this Ivy League smart venture capitalist and Kevin Okcono who’s obviously excellent. They’re like, “We’re not going to m if you look back, you would have been like, whatever you get offered.” And he it’s not like he was getting offered, you know, per Jordan Love money. What do they give him? 50 60 guaranteed if they didn’t have a quarterback, they would have gladly given him a hundred million guaranteed, right? But they did. They’re like, they start pinching pennies and you start going, “What we can do to the team?” But that’s also for that to work. It’s predicated on JJ McCarthy just being solid. That not only do we not know if he’s solid, he’s played eight quarters in the NFL and seven of them have been the worst quarterback play of the league. Think about that. He’s played eight total quarters and seven of them have been objectively it doesn’t get any worse. So, and and he’s now torn a knee and had a bad ankle injury where he’s not even he can’t even put on pads. So you go this is I don’t want to say like defcon 5 but you can’t tell me that internally they are extremely concerned because listen quarterback situation can just you can get lucky right like they got a little lucky I don’t blame them once they signed Darnold for $10 million still drafting JJ McCarthy but then you got evidence and it’s like well he was terrible in these last two games yeah some Pton Manning’s had shitty playoff games football Joe Montana lost some playoff games and I’m not saying he’s those eyes, but he’s kind of coming back and Sam’s validating like, yeah, maybe I’m not going to be Patrick Mahomes, but I’m going to be way that what are the chances that JJ McCarthy is ever 80% as good as Sam Darnold has been the last year and I I don’t think Do you know right now Sam Darnold start of last season is tied with Momes with seven game-winning drives. He’s tied for the most wins in the league and tied with Mahomes for the most game-winning drives. It’s not that Sam is playing well. Sam’s playing well late. Sam’s playing well in big moments. I mean, that Arizona game, they needed Sam. They they was a that was a quarterback game. So, it’s not just that Sam looks bigger and more active. And the other thing is Sam played with older guys in Minnesota. Seattle’s a bunch of kids. It’s the second youngest offense in the league. And they plop him in. JSN now looks like a number one. The Holton kid, the fifth round kid can play. um the the uh Royal the tight end from Miami, the rookie uh Walker, you he just brought him into a bunch of kids like Jordan Love plays with a young team, but he’s been there for four or five years with all those guys or at least three years. I mean, Sam just plopped him into the Young Seahawks. It looks like he’s been playing with this group of guys for years. Totally. I mean, I’m with you. And I I’ll never forget watching the press conference when they signed him and Mike McDonald sitting up there next to him and they said, “Well, how much of an impact did it have?” I mean, you could argue one of Sam’s greatest throws of his short career as a really good player came against last year and he said, “Yeah, kind of had a big impact on us. I had a front row seat for that game and I game planned against them all week.” So, I I just think, you know, the Steelers are a good example is this season is like they start a new next year. Who the hell knows what’s going to happen? Roger retire. He’s 42 years old. Maybe tries to come back. You know, I I think the Vikings right now I I Listen, I’ve been, like I said, I’ve been impressed with Carson Wentz. Like, he’s but definitely not some loser. You know, he’s you can play with him, but he’s just a one. It’s not like you got to go back to JJ. Who is JJ as good as Carson Wentz is right now? I don’t know. I don’t think so. No. All right. [Music]

Colin Cowherd is joined by ‘3 & Out’ host John Middlekauff to react to Week 4 in the NFL. Colin and John react to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ win over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland. What does this game say about Aaron Rodgers? Do the Vikings regret letting Sam Darnold go to the Seattle Seahawks and building around J.J. McCarthy?

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29 comments

  3. IDK. I was high on Darnold but after how he looked like a deer in headlights in the last two games of the 2024 season, it just didn't look like he was a SB winning QB so I think trying to see what they've got in JJ McCarthy is the way to go. Our Kevinly Father, Kevin O'Connell, is eventually going to get that elite QB that can win him a SB. Skol Vikes!

  6. JJ has played 8 quarters. 2 of them he looked solid, the other 6 he looked like garbage. During those 8 quarters the run game was solid for 2, garbage for 6. And finally the offensive line was solid for 2, garbage for 6. It's not a coincidence that the 2 quarters the OL was good were also the same 2 quarters that JJ and the running game were good. The Vikings are living and dying by the OL play which is unfortunate for Vikings fans because I really don't know if their OL is going to get much better the rest of the year 00:00

  10. Darnold is on his 5th franchise for a reason. KOC had over a year with both QBs and picked JJ for a reason. You claim to like KOC and the Vikings organization and then turn around and refuse to trust them on this.

  12. People keep bringing up the 2 games Sam Darnold had with Minnesota at the end of last season and that's fair but how did Brock Purdy look in his early playoff games? Both Purdy and Sam look much more confident in pressure situations. Sports and music are a little similar to me in that sometimes you don't rise to the top until it's your time.

  14. Vikings O-line is banged up and KOC didn’t call a great game. If we kept Darnold, I think the narrative would’ve been “did the Vikings make a mistake resigning Sam Darnold”. QB play is not the issue right now, O-line and play calling doesn’t work.

  15. The vikings may have made the biggest blunder ruining their shelf life getting to a Superbowl with the talent to do it and Darnold was cheap to boot but his last playoff game made the decision for them . The problem Sam played McVey and the Rams and he panicked . Darnold is Goff who has much better mobility . He probably better than hurts with the eagles . It appears Seattle got an upgrade with a get out of jail clause if Sam turns back into a pumpkin keeping Sam motivated .
    I think the question is who is the better quarterback. Baker or Sam . 2 comeback kids

  17. 1:10 the Falcons ran over the Vikings, too. Flores is spending too much time trying to cover for his coverage that he (and Quesi) and not enough time and talent on stopping the run. I realize that it's a talent issue.

  18. Funny how Cowherd gives Wentz a pass because of “3 backup OL” Yet McCarthy had no Darrisaw and backup Center and He criticized him . Maybe it’s not either QBs it’s the o line being inept outside like 6 quarters of the 4 games they’ve played .

  19. No disrespect but you guys are going to run this story into the ground !!! Damn 😂😂😂Must be the storyline getting the most views . Once jj starts balling the narrative will change again I assume.

  20. It kinda feels like if Tampa would've moved off of Baker after his prove it year. The big difference is Kyle Trask was picked late in the second round while JJ McCarthy was picked in the top 15.

  25. I know you guys love Sam but do you remember the last 2 games he played for the Viks last year? 9 points vs Lions in essentially a playoff game and then followed it up with another 9 pointer in the actual playoffs. The struggles started last year when the o-line was hurt NOT when they inserted McCarthy and Wentz

  26. 2 games!!!! 2 games…. You don’t get to watch a guy play bad, lead a 3 TD comeback and go 1-1 and say he’s never gunna be 80% of Darnold! What a weird and so out there statement, clip that when Sam loses in the big games and JJ wins a playoff game

  29. Not re-signing Sam Darnold was dumb business by the Vikings. It looks even worse now. I guess 14 wins, 4,300 passing yards and 35TDs wasn't enough for Vikings fans who have short memories about all the great work Sam Darnold did last year. I'm enjoying watching Sam Darnold ball out at the Seahawks this year.

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