Sam Darnold delivered two touchdown passes in a strong debut for the Minnesota Vikings, helping his team to a dominant 28-6 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
A 22-yard completion to Josh Oliver set up a short Aaron Jones touchdown run to open the scoring. Darnold then connected with Justin Jefferson for a 3-yard touchdown and later hit Jalen Nailor on a 21-yard strike to extend the lead, giving the Vikings a solid platform as they aim to bounce back from last season’s 7-10 finish.
PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST.
In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Darnold made a statement in his return to MetLife Stadium. The former No. 3 overall pick completed his first 11 passes in Sunday's season opener and finished 19-of-24 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. However, that interception was the result of him being hit mid-throw rather than a bad decision.
Darnold was clinical from a clean pocket, as he completed 14 of his 15 attempts for 151 yards (10.1 yards per attempt) when he was kept clean from pressure.
BOX SCORE
| Vikings | Giants | |
| Total points | 28 | 6 |
| Total offensive plays | 51 | 68 |
| Average EPA per play | 0.145 | -0.384 |
| Total net yards | 327 | 230 |
| Avg yards per play | 6.4 | 3.4 |
| Total first downs | 17 | 14 |
| Rushing first downs | 7 | 4 |
| Passing first downs | 8 | 9 |
| Penalty first downs | 2 | 1 |
| Third-down efficiency | 50% | 44% |
| Fourth-down efficiency | 20% | 9% |
| Possessions | 10 | 11 |
| Avg plays per drive | 5.8 | 6.6 |
| Avg yards per drive | 29.7 | 19.2 |
| Avg points per drive | 2 | 0.5 |
| Red-zone possessions | 2 | 3 |
| Red-zone plays | 6 | 15 |
| Red-zone TDs | 2 | 0 |
| Red-zone FGs | 0 | 1 |
| Red-zone scoring efficiency | 100% | 33% |
SNAP COUNTS & PLAYER PARTICIPATION
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