Perfect baseball analogy used to describe Christian Darrisaw performance in Week 1

The Minnesota Vikings dominated the New York Giants in a 28-6 victory on Sunday and one of the big reasons was the performance of Christian Darrisaw.

According to Pro Football Focus, Darrisaw allowed just one quarterback pressure on 26 pass-blocking snaps in the win over the Giants, and he got a new fan in NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, who likened the left tackle's performance to pitching a "no-hitter" in baseball and broke it all down in a video on his X account on Monday.

“Christian Darrisaw was paid this offseason to be an elite player and that’s exactly what he was on Sunday.

…Darrisaw was outstanding all game long against some pass rushers who are supposed to get to the quarterback for the Giants.”

Christian Darrisaw and Minnesota Vikings offense line shutdown New York Giants pass rush

Baldinger broke down several reps where Darrisaw went against Giants edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. While both edge rushers tried to long-arm Darrisaw to get an advantage, Darrisaw didn’t budge and even put Thibodeaux into the turf.

Darrisaw wasn’t the only Vikings offensive lineman that caught his eye. While he broke down Darrisaw, he complimented the rest of the offensive line that gave Sam Darnold a clean pocket all game long including a touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson in the second quarter.

“I call this the perfect cradle of love. Look at this pocket. It’s beautiful. That way, you can just get that ball into Justin Jefferson against Deonte Banks with a perfect stick throw.”

The Vikings offensive line clicked on Sunday, with Blake Brandel, Brian O’Neill, and Darrisaw all owning a PFF overall offensive grade of at least 79.0 and allowing just two pressures combined. While Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram combined to allow 10 pressures in pass protection, Ingram was solid in the running game with a 63.9 run-blocking grade from PFF.

The struggles on the interior didn’t take the shine off the Vikings’ performance in the trenches. Brandel was second among guards behind Indianapolis’s Will Fries and the fourth-ranked offensive lineman in PFF pass-blocking grade on Sunday, while O’Neill was fourth among tackles and seventh overall.

The Vikings also thrived in the running game, posting a 72.8 PFF grade as a team, and helped Aaron Jones run for 94 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

But the offensive line might come down to Darrisaw, who signed a four-year, $104 million contract extension last month. With the 25-year-old locked up through the 2029 season, the Vikings clearly have a franchise tackle, and he’s backing it up with his play on the field.

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