It takes strong resolve from these young quarterbacks to persevere, and it, too, takes the right fit for them to finally make it. Darnold and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell appear to be a good fit. Having star receiver Justin Jefferson to throw to doesn’t hurt, either.

Helton peered into Sam Darnold’s face mask. “You can always see it in a quarterback’s eyes,” Helton said. “They’re either deer-in-the-headlights or they look at you like it’s just a practice. He’s always looked like, ‘Coach, don’t worry ...

So it would have been reasonable for outside observers to cringe at Sam Darnold's wild flip of the ball toward running back Aaron Jones Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, not only because it threatened to turn a busted play into a massive turnover,

If you're deducing things as you read along, you've already come to the realization that Jayden Daniels, Will Levis, Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones, Russell Wilson, Caleb Williams and Jacoby Brissett are all ranked ahead of Darnold. By the numbers, it makes absolutely no sense.

When the schedule is loaded with tough games at the start of the schedule, it sends a message to the team that it must be ready to compete hard as the season gets

The Minnesota Vikings have not had to rebuild this roster completely; rather, they have established leaders like Harrison Phillips, who, in turn, lift the whole roster. They really have embraced

The Houston Texans defense will see an unlikely opponent in Sam Darnold when they face the Minnesota Vikings.Darnold is stepping in as the starter after No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury back in training camp.