Short version

Against four-man rushes, Darnold is pretty close to an average NFL quarterback. When defenses send an extra man at him, though, he’s executing at an extremely high level.

Darnold knows how to make blitzes pay the maximum penalty.

Long version

Justis Mosqueda Darnold is performing at an All-Pro level against the blitz this year

Jeff Hafley, if you are listening, do not blitz Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. Just don’t do it.


It might sound like a good idea to throw chaos at a quarterback who was only pushed into the starting role when first-round pick J.J. McCarthy went down with a knee injury in August, but all the data is telling you to avoid this plan.


According to NFL Pro, Darnold’s passing stats against a stock four-man rush include 230 completions on 352 attempts for 2,692 yards (7.6 yards per pass), 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His EPA per play against non-blitzes is +0.04 per dropback, he has a passer rating of 94.6 and he’s recorded an adjusted yards per attempt (AY/A) of 7.45.


Against the blitz, though, he’s completed 80 of 109 passes for 1,084 yards (9.9 yards per pass), 13 touchdowns and just one interception. His passer rating? 140.4. His EPA per dropback? +0.17, more than four times as valuable as his performance against non-blitzes. His AY/A against the blitz is 11.92. For perspective, the best Aaron Rodgers season from an AY/A perspective — which ranks third all-time in NFL history — was 10.50 in 2011.


Against four-man rushes, Darnold is pretty close to an average NFL quarterback. When defenses send an extra man at him, though, he’s executing at an extremely high level.


Considering that he gets to go against Brian Flores’ defense in practice and has two star receivers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to throw to, you can imagine how he got so good at getting the ball out of his hand quickly versus the blitz.


If the Packers want to avoid the seventh seed in the NFC playoff race, they will likely have to beat the Vikings this Sunday. The result of the game will hinge on the four-man pass rush getting home because blitzing is a losing game plan.


Continue Reading @ Justis Mosqueda

I blitz the puke in Madden more than half the time. I own his ass!!!

I think the Vikings scheme is very QB friendly. You play within the system and everything will be alright. I'm glad to see Sam Darnold playing well. I'd rather it with a different jersey, but eh ....

beast;468165Short version
Darnold knows how to make blitzes pay the maximum penalty

Blitzing necessitates man coverage with no help.
With their receiving talent, it is better not to blitz, but us stunts and zone blitzes go give them different looks to get pressure.

Yeah, blitzing means a lot of man coverage. And going against guys like Jefferson, Addison and Hockenson while also having Aaron Jones ... that's not ideal. It's a good situation for a QB.