Sam Darnold rose to his feet, took a few steps, then collapsed back down to the playing surface on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. The silence from the home crowd was deafening as Darnold limped to the sideline under his own power. Just a few weeks earlier, Darnold was making his debut with the Vikings, and nobody seemed to have very high expectations for this particular player or team. Now, all of a sudden, everybody was holding their breath, praying it wasn’t anything serious. The feeling of impending doom that accompanied the scene unfolding on the field spoke volumes about the impact Darnold has made in his short time as the Vikings’ starting quarterback. So did the massive roar that Darnold received when he emerged from the medical tent and trotted back onto the field. Make no mistake about it. That was the moment that Darnold won over the fan base. “The reaction meant everything to me,” Darnold said. “My entire time here in Minnesota has been amazing.” After getting additional testing done on Monday morning at TCO Performance Center, Darnold has been diagnosed with a knee bruise. He isn’t expected to miss any time as the Vikings begin their preparation for Sunday’s game against the rival Green Bay Packers. That’s good news, because it feels like something special is brewing in Minnesota. Though the defense certainly deserves credit for its dominance, Darnold’s renaissance is the main reason the Vikings have shockingly looked like Super Bowl contenders. You could make a legitimate case that Darnold should be in the Most Valuable Player conversation based on how well he has played throughout the improbable 3-0 start. He has completed 68 percent of his pass attempts for 657 yards, and he currently leads the league with eight touchdowns. It’s not hyperbole to say that Darnold has been among the best quarterbacks in the league so far, and frankly, he looks more than capable of keeping it rolling. He was the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft because he possessed seemingly limitless potential. Maybe this is who he could have always been if he were put in a position to succeed. “He’s doing a great job,” star receiver Justin Jefferson said. “He’s going out there confident and being himself.” That has been more than enough as Darnold has slowly rewritten the narrative while helping the Vikings establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with during a 3-0 start. The perception started to change when Darnold showed flashes of brilliance in a 28-6 win over the New York Giants. You started to sense the tide was turning when Darnold delivered a perfectly placed pass to Jefferson in double coverage along the sideline for a 44-yard gain. The good vibes continued when Darnold found that same success in a 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers. You knew something was happening when Darnold launched a deep pass to Jefferson from the shadow of his own goal post that went for a 97-yard touchdown. The hype train left the station when Darnold balled out in Sunday’s 34-7 win over the Houston Texans. You could almost feel a shift in the universe when Darnold peeled himself off the turf, then returned to the game to a standing ovation from the fan base. “He’s a baller,” running back Aaron Jones said. “He’s everything we would want in a quarterback.” Now that Darnold has found a home with the Vikings, the biggest question centers on whether this is sustainable. It’s rooted in the fact that Darnold hasn’t sustained much success throughout his NFL career to this point. “I don’t really have a lot of interest in talking about the past,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I think we all need to start being totally present, and when he plays well like he has, I think we should talk about a guy playing the position at a high level and move on.” Those comments from O’Connell came last week before Darnold went out and lit up the scoreboard once again. He won over the fan base in the process, and while some might still not want to believe, it looks like the sky is the limit for the Vikings. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is escorted off the field by medical trainers after getting injured on the previous play in the third quarter of a NFL football game against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept., 22, 2024. Darnold would return after sitting out one play. (John Autey / Pioneer Press) Related Articles Minnesota Vikings | How the home crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium helped the Vikings force a punt Minnesota Vikings | Five takeaways from Vikings’ 34-7 win over Texans Minnesota Vikings | Vikings rattle C.J. Stroud in dominant win over Texans Minnesota Vikings | The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 3: Last-minute moves Minnesota Vikings | Vikings will be without Jordan Addison, Dallas Turner and Ivan Pace Jr. against Texans