For each game he broadcasts during the 2024 NFL season all the way through Super Bowl LIX, FOX Sports lead NFL analyst Tom Brady is awarding his LFG Player of the Game to that one player he sees on the field who makes him say …
“LET’S F***ING GO!!!”
In Week 17, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold took home the honor after he led his team to a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The win, which improved the Vikings’ record to 14-2, was practically essential to their hopes of obtaining the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Now the Vikings’ regular-season finale matchup against the Detroit Lions will determine who wins the NFC North and gets the No. 1 seed in the conference.
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Before Minnesota looks ahead to next week, Darnold’s performance on Sunday was worth remembering. He completed 33 of 43 passes for 377 yards, three touchdowns and an interception with a 116.1 passer rating. After coming up empty-handed on the team’s first two possessions of the game, Darnold led the Vikings on five scoring drives in the second and third quarters. Those scores helped Minnesota get a comfortable 27-10 lead, which was large enough to withstand the Packers’ late rally.
When he awarded the LFG Player of the Game trophy, Darnold jokingly remarked that it was heavier than it looked. However, he made it clear that moments like Sunday’s game weren’t too big for him and the Vikings.
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Vikings’ Sam Darnold | Week 17 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
“We have all the confidence in the world,” Darnold told Brady when asked how the Vikings have so much confidence. “First and foremost, just playing as a team. Our defense, doing their thing. Our special teams, doing their thing. And as an offense, we try to execute to the best of our ability. I felt like we did that at times today.
“Obviously, there’s a ton of ways we can get better. But yeah, I just feel like we’re just gonna continue to grind and get better every single week, every single day and we’ll go from there.”
A big reason why Darnold might have that confidence is Justin Jefferson‘s presence. The 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year didn’t find the end zone on Sunday, but he made a highlight-worthy one-handed snag in the fourth quarter that caused Brady to compare him to Vikings legend Randy Moss.
Tom Brady on Justin Jefferson’s negated one-handed catch: ‘Randy Moss-esque’
That catch actually didn’t count due to a holding penalty. Still, Jefferson had eight receptions for 92 yards on Sunday, making some crucial grabs in the second half to help Minnesota win.
“He’s a pretty good player, man,” Darnold told Brady of Jefferson. “Playing with that guy’s really fun. We have JA — Jordan Addison — as well. Speedy Jalen Nailor made some really good catches. T.J. Hockenson, I can go on and on about the guys that we have.
“But yeah, Jets is an amazing player and I’m very fortunate to have him as a teammate.”
That tandem between Darnold and Jefferson has led the Vikings to become one of the surprise teams of the 2024 regular season. Minnesota will get its chance to dethrone Detroit, which was the NFC North champion last year and one of the top Super Bowl favorites entering the year, next week.
But Darnold doesn’t view the Vikings as the little brother punching up, keeping focus on the task at hand.
“We’re just gonna continue to take it one game at a time, Tom. You know how we do,” Darnold said. “That’s been our mindset. It’s been our mindset the entire year. Really, you know, throwing it back to April, that was our mindset then.
“Why change now?”
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