Vikings escape disaster with Sam Darnold injury update on Monday

For what feels like the first time in a while, the Minnesota Vikings have caught a break, as the team announced on Monday that quarterback Sam Darnold is not expected to miss any time this season after injuring his knee during the team's win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

According to Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell on Monday, an MRI revealed that Darnold's injury is only a knee bruise and he did not suffer any structural damage to his knee. O'Connell hopes that the quarterback can have a normal week of preparation before Minnesota takes on the Green Bay Packers next Sunday.

After what the Vikings experienced earlier this year when an MRI resulted in rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy having to undergo season-ending knee surgery, the team has to be ecstatic that Darnold was able to avoid a serious injury on Sunday.

Minnesota Vikings provide giant relief with Sam Darnold injury update

For those who have been rooting for Minnesota for multiple decades, no one would have been surprised if O'Connell stepped up to the podium on Monday and shared that Darnold had suffered a season-ending injury in the win over the Texans.

Instead, the Vikings and their undefeated record get to keep rolling with Darnold as their starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2024 season. Longtime Minnesota fans aren't used to not having the rug pulled out from under them, so Monday's news about the veteran signal-caller was likely extra enjoyable for those who were expecting the absolute worst.

After avoiding a serious injury on Sunday, next up for Darnold is to begin preparing for a tough NFC North matchup in Week 4 against the Green Bay Packers inside historic Lambeau Field.

Darnold has never faced the Packers on the road in his career, but in his lone matchup against Green Bay in 2018, when he was a member of the New York Jets, he threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns.

Hopefully, he can put together a similar performance in a Vikings uniform next Sunday.

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