Sam Darnold: A Quick Study at Lambeau Field

 By Eric Goska

Purple prevailed at Lambeau Field Sunday
(photos by Eric Goska)

Sam Darnold lit up Lambeau Field.

Darnold fired three touchdown passes in leading the Vikings to a 31-29 victory over the Packers Sunday. The seven-year veteran required fewer passing attempts to snag his hat trick than any opposing player in the 68-year history of the stadium.

Quick draw, quick study, Darnold directed the early fusillade. In firing scoring strikes to Jordan Addison, Josh Oliver and Justin Jefferson, the 27-year-old quarterback staked Minnesota to an imposing 28-0 lead in the game’s first 25 minutes.

Only once have the Vikings mounted a larger lead at Lambeau. Head coach Bud Grant’s charges jumped in front by 31 in a 31-7 in trouncing of the Pack in 1973.

Darnold tossed his first TD pass on his fourth throw of the game, a 29-yarder to Addison. He counted No. 2 on his seventh attempt, a 2-yarder to tight end Oliver. He capped off his assault with a 14-yarder to Justin Jefferson, a third TD on just his 13th aerial of the afternoon.

No opposing passer had gotten there quicker in a regular-season game at Lambeau. Darnold broke the previous record of 16 that had been shared by Fran Tarkenton (1971) and Randall Cunningham (1998).

Scores of opposing quarterbacks have plied their trade at the venue the Packers have called home since 1957. Darnold became the 37th to throw three or more TD passes in a regular-season game there.

Sunday was Darnold’s 70th game as a pro. It marked just the sixth time he passed for three or more touchdowns in a game and the second time against the Packers.

As a rookie in 2018, Darnold got three in a 38-44 overtime loss to Green Bay. In that matchup, he needed 23 attempts to come away with his hat trick.

One, Two, Three – Hat Trick
The six opposing quarterbacks who required fewer than 20 pass attempts to fire three touchdown passes in a regular-season game at Lambeau Field
 
    No.        Passer                           Date                           Team           Result
      13          Sam Darnold                   Sept. 29, 2024           Vikings          GB lost, 29-31
      16          Fran Tarkenton              Sept. 19, 1971             Giants            GB lost, 40-42
      16          Randall Cunningham   Oct. 5, 1998                 Vikings          GB lost, 24-37
      17          Nick Foles                        Nov. 10, 2013             Eagles           GB lost, 13-27
      18          Ron Jaworski                  Nov. 25, 1979             Eagles           GB lost, 10-21
      19          Carson Wentz                 Sept. 26, 2019            Eagles           GB lost, 27-34

WCCO-TV CBS Minnesota had much to talk about Sunday.

Welcome back, Aaron Jones!

On Sunday, Jones took to Lambeau Field for the first time since becoming a Viking and enjoyed a productive afternoon. No. 33 led the Vikings with 93 yards rushing on 22 carries, and while not a 100-yard effort, his output is notable for how well it stacks up with performances turned in by other former Packers against their old team.

Backs who once played for Green Bay have returned to face their former employer ever since Eddie Usher donned a Kansas City Blues uniform in 1924. Some –Harry Mattos, Cy Casper and Mike Meade – have been all but forgotten. Others – Mule Wilson, Bobby Jack Floyd and Bill Butler – scarcely made a ripple.

In all, just over 50 backs have fallen into this category over the last 100 years. Just five – Dave Hampton, Jamaal Williams, Edgar Bennett, Vince Workman and Jones – gained more than 75 yards on the ground in a return engagement.

Eddie Lacy signed autographs before the game.

Only one – Hampton – put up numbers comparable to those of Jones. Hampton, who played for Green Bay from 1969-1971, gained 93 yards on 30 carries as a Falcon in 1972 against his old team and he amassed 94 on 23 totes two years later.

Jones, with a long of 17, had three carries of more than 10 yards. He came away with five of the Vikings’ eight first downs rushing.

Almost a third of Jones’ attempts (7) came in the second half of the fourth quarter as Minnesota sought to run out the clock. Not one of those tries brought more than five yards or a first down.

Five players have gained 100 or more yards rushing against Green Bay in the years after they left the team. Hampton leads the list with 260 yards in four games followed by Williams (221-4), Junior Coffey (174-5), Jug Girard (155-6) and Tobin Rote (100-5).

Jones could join that list when the Vikings host the Packers in December.

Return Engagements

Former Packers who gained more than 75 yards rushing in a regular-season game against their old team.
 
    Yds        Atts       Player                             Team                        Date
      94           23          Dave Hampton                 Falcons                      Dec. 15, 1974
      93           30          Dave Hampton                 Falcons                      Oct. 22, 1972
      93           22          Aaron Jones                      Vikings                      Sept. 29, 2024
      81           24          Jamaal Williams               Lions                          Nov. 6, 2022
      78           15          Edgar Bennett                   Bears                         Dec. 13, 1998
      77           18          Vince Workman                Buccaneers               Nov. 28, 1993