Securing the No. 1 spot in the division brings a huge advantage, which is why every team at the top of the division has been fighting to lock it down. The Chiefs have already conquered the AFC West. And in the NFC, the Lions have been roaring this season. But it looks like some trouble is brewing for Jared Goff’s squad. As their divisional rivals, Sam Darnold‘s Vikings are shaping up to be a big threat to them.

The Lions should be concerned now, as the Vikings are about to enter their den. The Sam Darnold-led Vikings are now tied with the Lions, both having 13 wins. Kevin O’Connell’s team beat the Seahawks 27-24 in Week 16. Darnold scored three touchdowns, running for 246 yards. In the post-game conference, Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell shared an incident from the sidelines that caught him off guard. During the game, the HC ran into a technical issue with his mic while trying to talk to his QB on the field. ” I don’t particularly know what he called. I just know that once I saw him have space and run like he did, I was relieved,” shared the HC. 

O’Connell’s headset completely cut out for a couple of plays during the Vikings’ game-changing drive. Despite that, Sam Darnold kept crushing it on the gridiron, leading his team to another win. For the Seahawks, it was their second straight loss at home, at Lumen Field. In Week 15, the Packers handed them a tough one right on their turf. Who could forget that game? The Packers fans had the whole stadium buzzing with their “Go Pack Go” chants.

The Vikings HC, facing the technical glitch, also had some fans raising eyebrows, wondering if the rival team did it on purpose. Well, that’s a question we can’t answer. But for now, O’Connell has been praising his QB, calling his performance ‘MVP’ worthy.

Sam Darnold makes a worthy MVP contender

As the Vikings successfully keep up with their divisional foes (Lions), Sam Darnold proves why he deserves to be in the top 5 of the MVP contenders list. And not just because of the week 16 win over the Seahawks. The QB’s stats speak for themselves. The USC alum has 32 TDs to his name, racking up 3,776 yards. That’s a better stat line than Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who is also on the MVP contenders list. The Vikings have also managed to win 13 of their 15 games by the week 16. The last time they hit that number of wins was in 2022 when Nick Mullens was the QB.

Darnold, who’s had stints with the Jets, Panthers, and 49ers over his seven-year career, is hitting some big milestones. After adding another win to the Vikings’ record, the 27-year-old became just the third QB ever to win 13 or more games in his first season with a new team. So, when Kevin O’Connell says his QB is MVP-worthy, he’s just speaking the truth. Right now, Darnold’s up against some tough competition, from Lamar Jackson, who is leading the board, and of course, Bills QB Josh Allen.  But for now, his focus will be helping the team grab those last two wins.

The Vikings will face against the Packers in week 17, and after that, they’ll take on their divisional rivals, the Lions. That game is going to be a thrilling one!