San Darnold at quarterback for the New York Jets during a game on October 8, 2018. by slgckgc is licensed under CC BY CODE 2.0.

Darnold was drafted by the New York Jets in 2018. He bounced from the Jets to the Panthers in 2021 to the 49ers in 2023 until he finally landed on the Vikings this year.

Few teams can achieve such a strong start to a season as the Minnesota Vikings. The illustrious title of “undefeated” is hard to come by as the NFL enters week seven. At the time of this article’s writing, the Vikings are 5-0 and showing no signs of slowing down.

None of this would be possible without Sam Darnold, their quarterback. His 11 passing touchdowns are second in the league by only one. He has recorded over 1,100 passing yards, which is 13th in the league, and has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.

Darnold had an unfortunate outing during week five as he went out mid-game due to injury. He did come back to finish the game, but he was visibly in pain, which greatly affected his play. The injury was reported as a knee bruise, which is a minor injury. 

That combined with the Vikings’ week six bye (off week) should have Darnold in tip-top condition come week seven. The Vikings still managed to beat the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets.

Sam was drafted third overall in the 2018 NFL draft and for much of his career, he was considered a bust. His level of play never met expectations, leading to Darnold bouncing from team to team for years. He went from the Jets to the Panthers to the 49ers until he finally found his way to the Vikings. He was initially signed to act as a backup quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy. 

McCarthy is a rookie quarterback drafted by the Vikings with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. In training camp, he tore his meniscus tendon, which rendered him unable to play in his rookie season. This left Darnold with the starting spot.

During this period of mediocrity, Darnold gained a reputation as somewhat of a joke in the league, accumulating a large fanbase of people who enjoy dunking on his poor play. These “fans” created a subreddit dubbed “the_darnold,” a parody of the popular Republican subreddit “the_donald,” where they regularly clown his sub-par performances. 

This notoriety earned him the nickname GEQBUS, an acronym for God Emperor Quarterback of the United States. His fans coined this ironic nickname as a comical take on his underperformance.

Despite the immense criticism, GEQBUS has remained in the NFL, inspiring countless memes. Darnold’s remarkable play this year has been a happy surprise for his die-hard fans. His fans have celebrated his breakout year by flocking to the subreddit and sportsbooks alike to make celebratory posts and bets.

This development is not only big for Sam Darnold fans but also for Minnesota Vikings fans. This unforeseen upgrade has not flown under their radar. 

One die-hard Vikings fan, sophomore Russell Fossum, could not contain his excitement. 

“I thought our season was over when JJ McCarthy was injured. Starting 5-0 has been a dream come true. Everyone made fun of me because I was a Vikings fan,” Fossum said. “Must suck to be them now.”

The Vikings and the Green Bay Packers are division rivals in the NFC North, which means they face off twice a season. The first Packers vs. Vikings matchup during week four resulted in a Vikings win. In that game, Sam put up an impressive stat line, reading 275 yards for three touchdowns, making 20 passes on 28 attempts and recording only one interception.

All this is bad news for Mr. Haupert, Sage Creek’s resident staff Packers fan. 

“If we hadn’t missed those two field goals we would have won,” said Haupert. “I am happy for Sam because I think he got a bad deal at the start of his career because he had to play for the Jets and the Panthers. It’s cool that he is doing well now that he is on a good team. We have to wait and see if he will be the real deal though”.

The Arizona Cardinals have had a rough start to the season, going 2-3. This has not fazed Sophomore Noah Elkins, a proud Cardinals fan. The Vikings face off against the Cardinals in early December.

“I am confident in Kyler Murray but I am terrified of Sam Darnold. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” said Elkins.

“Him and Justin Jefferson are a menacing combo.“ 

Unfortunately for Elkins, the Cardinals are a low-tier team this year, and the Vikings are highly favored in this game.

Sam Darnold is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and is the clear-cut winner for MVP as we advance through the season, and anyone who says otherwise is living in the past. With the leadership of Darnold, the Vikings are looking at a high chance of Super Bowl contention and a possible win.