Vikings' hot start still leaves one major question about Sam Darnold going forward

I will admit defeat. I have been wrong about this every step of the way. The Minnesota Vikings are not only good, but they are one of the last two undefeated teams in the NFL. The other team just so happens to be the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and even they have not played all that great of football to begin with. The Vikings are firing on all cylinders so far this year.

I will give general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah a ton of credit for identifying and locating the right quarterback for the Vikings this year, and probably next, in Sam Darnold. He has looked like the former No. 3 overall pick coming out of USC before the flightless New York Jets nearly ruined him. It is a testament to how great of an offensive-minded head coach Kevin O'Connell is. This is working well!

However, there is only one thing Vikings fans need to be cautious about when it comes to Darnold the rest of the way. As one of Rich Eisen's most mind-blowing stats heading into Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season, the Vikings have trailed for precisely three minutes and 26 seconds. Every other team in the league has trailed for at least 26 minutes. The New York Giants were the team that led the Vikings...

To bring it back home, we know Darnold can win with a lead, but how good is he playing from behind?

Darnold and the Vikings are playing with a ton of confidence, but it has been smooth sailing thus far.

Sam Darnold is still unproven playing from behind with Minnesota Vikings

There is a double-edged sword here. While I admit that Darnold seems like a good guy who has been through so much in his professional career already, he does have a nasty proclivity for playing inherently recklessly when the game gets away from him. Factor in that the Vikings have not really been a franchise that handles adversity great for the better part of five decades now and it's an issue.

The good news is there is always time to change course. As long as the Vikings have O'Connell as their head coach and empower him as such, they will have the ability to hang with anyone. I think racking up as many wins as you can before the rest of the league figures out how good you are is a great idea. I remember a Vikings team from a decade ago that started 5-0 and missed the playoffs...

Overall, we are not going to know if Darnold is a truly rehabilitated quarterback until we see it. Through the first four weeks of the season, he is showing that he can play with great confidence with the wind in his sails. Unfortunately, football is a game of injury and overcoming adversity. This time around, I think Darnold is built for it. I just wonder if he will be a catalyst for change with Minnesota.

Right now, this feels like a playoff team, but I don't know how high its ceiling even is beyond that.