Sam Darnold sets a Vikings record with his latest impressive performance

Sam Darnold impressively proves week after week that there is nothing unusual about the way he plays and produces early in his Vikings career.

Darnold threw three more touchdown passes in the first half of the Vikings’ wild 31-29 win over the Packers on Sunday, giving him his 11th touchdown pass of the season. He also set a franchise record by becoming the first Vikings quarterback to open a season with a passer rating of at least 100 in four consecutive games.

More specifically, Darnold’s passer rating was at least 109 in each of the first four games, including a season-high of 123.4 in Green Bay. The only other players to start a season with a 109+ passer rating and multiple touchdowns in at least four straight games are Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson. This group includes nine Super Bowl rings and eight MVPs.

“My confidence in him is really high,” Kevin O’Connell said.

Darnold also set season highs in completions (20) and yards (275) in this game. It seemed like he was on his way to a truly massive statistical performance, but the Vikings offense as a whole faltered after they jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half.

Still, for the second time in three weeks, the Vikings had to rely on their quarterback when they needed a big drive to put a game on ice. Similar to how Darnold took a 23-14 lead against the 49ers in Week 2, he pushed through and helped his team take a 31-22 lead in the fourth quarter on Sunday. Darnold completed four straight passes for 60 yards on that drive to help regain momentum for the Packers and a raucous crowd at Lambeau Field.

“I think you have to have that attitude,” Darnold said. “You can’t think about what might happen or what has happened when they come back. You always have to maintain the attitude of putting one step in front of the other, one foot in front of the other. As long as we keep going.’ I feel like we’re going to have that mindset as a whole team on offense.”

The 4-0 Vikings just continue to post wins, and their quarterback is a big reason why. Darnold has been everything they hoped for when they signed him this offseason – and more.