Darnold made three plays a contending quarterback can’t make.
Darnold mistake No. 1: On the Vikings’ first possession, Darnold made the game look easy, driving the offense 60 yards on 10 plays. On third-and-3 from the Colts 16, Darnold scrambled left and fired a pass toward the end zone.
Whether watching the play unfold from the press box, or watching slow-motion replays, there is no way to fathom what Darnold saw. Nobody was open. The receiver he tried to pass to in the end zone was blanketed by one defender, who would have intercepted the pass had not a second defender beat him to it.
Darnold should have run to the sideline or thrown the ball out of bounds. He cost his team three points and caused a shudder to run through every human in the building wearing purple.
Darnold mistake No. 2: On the Vikings’ third drive, they had a first down at the Colts 47. Darnold dropped back and took a hit to the head. The officials should have called unnecessary roughness. That doesn’t mean Darnold should have fumbled the ball. He did, and the Colts returned the fumble for a touchdown.
Darnold mistake No. 3: After Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted Joe Flacco to protect a 14-7 lead, Darnold, on the next play, threw into a pack of Colts defenders and was intercepted himself, leading to a Colts field goal.
