To the shock of many, quarterback Sam Darnold’s play has the Minnesota Vikings poised to make a deep playoff run. However, Darnold’s breakout season didn’t appear out of thin air.

Of course, he had to put in the work and prove he can still be a starting quarterback in the NFL. But Darnold didn’t do it alone, leaning on quarterbacks coach Josh McCown for trusted advice, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.

“He’s been great,” Darnold said of McCown. “Just the way that – even when I first got here in OTAs – we’ve been able to learn the system together. And talk about gameplan and grow in it at the same time. It’s been a great journey so far.”

“He’s been a great coach to be able to lean on where situations aren’t necessarily going my way, and he’s also there when things are getting good, just to remind me of my fundamentals and what I’ve got to do to continue good quarterback play.”

McCown is in his year year as the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach after serving in the same role with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. His foray into coaching came after a 16-year NFL career on his own. It didn’t come with any Super Bowls or Pro Bowl appearances. But McCown is a respected mind and a newfound quarterback whisperer.

His tutelage has helped Sam Darnold reach once unthinkable career heights. Over 14 games, Darnold has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,530 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He ranks fifth in passing touchdowns and sixth in passing yards. Furthermore, if the regular season were to end after Week 16, Darnold has already set new career-highs across the board.

Alongside all of his counting stats, Darnold has the Vikings at 12-2. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot and are looking to take over the NFC North. All of that doesn’t happen without Sam Darnold finally realizing his first-round potential.

What happens after this season is still up in their air, the Vikings need to make a decision on their quarterback’s long-term future. However, it’s clear that Darnold-McCown connection has been a success. Perhaps Minnesota doesn’t want to mess up the mojo heading into 2025.
This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.