Offensive Player of the Game
Sam Darnold, QB
Other than the unfortunate third quarter interception, Sam Darnold was brilliant against the Packers. He responded perfectly to that unfortunate interception with a crisply led touchdown drive. Darnold played so well that he was wildly celebrated in the locker room by his teammates after the game.
Darnold’s numbers against the Packers:
33 completions
44 attempts
377 yards
3 TDs (31,18,9)
Justin Jefferson draws so much attention from opposing defenses. Darnold made the Packers pay for that attention by spreading the ball around. Five players caught at least four passes. Four players gained at least 60 yards with those passes.
Defensive Player of the Game
Blake Cashman, LB
So many players are deserving of this great honor. Other than a couple desperate fourth quarter possessions, the Vikings defense completely shut down the Packers offense. For the majority of the game, it was a one-sided matchup. Honoring the entire defense might be the appropriate move. Instead, I’m going with the player in the middle of the defense. Blake Cashman has been brilliant all season. The Vikings two losses were games he missed with an injury.
Cashman’s numbers against the Packers:
11 tackles
1.5 sacks
Wherever the ball goes, Cashman is routinely close.
Special Teams Player of the Game
Ryan Wright, P
The weekly Will Reichard Award doesn’t go to Will Reichard this week. If a couple of his kicks were inches higher and inches to the right, respectively, he’d have it again with his four field goals and three extra points. Unfortunately, his 57-yard attempt doinked off the crossbar and his 43-yard attempt doinked off the left upright.
So, this week’s Special Teams Player of the Game goes to punter Ryan Wright. He punted twice. One of those punts pinned the Packer at the 15-yard line.
