For each game he broadcasts through 2024 NFL Super Bowl LIX, the entire season by FOX Sports’ lead NFL analyst Tom Brady Honoring him LFG Player of the Game That one player he sees on the field that makes him say…
“Let’s go!!!”
In Week 17, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold earned the honor after leading his team to a 27–25 victory. Green Bay Packers. The win, which improved the Vikings’ record to 14-2, was practically essential to their hopes of securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Now the regular-season finale against the Vikings Detroit Lions That will determine who wins the NFC North and gets the No. 1 seed in the conference.
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Before next week in Minnesota, Darnold’s performance on Sunday was one to remember. He completed 33 of 43 passes for 377 yards, three touchdowns and one interception with a 116.1 passer rating. After the team came up empty-handed on the first two possessions of the game, Darnold led the Vikings on five scoring drives in the second and third quarters. Those scores helped Minnesota take a comfortable 27-10 lead, big enough to withstand a late rally by the Packers.
When he was awarded the LFG Player of the Game trophy, Darnold jokingly remarked that it was heavier than it looked. However, he made it clear that moments like Sunday’s game weren’t too big for him and the Vikings.
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Vikings’ Sam Darnold | Week 17 Digital Exclusive

“We have all the confidence in the world,” Darnold told Brady when asked how the Vikings have so much confidence. “First and foremost, just playing as a team. Our defense is doing its job. Our special teams are doing their job. And as an offense, we’re doing the best we can. Try to perform. I felt like we did that many times today
“Obviously, there’s a lot of ways we can do better. But yeah, I think we’re going to continue to grind and improve every single day, every week and we’ll go from there.”
A big reason why Darnold has that confidence is the presence of Justin Jefferson. The 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year didn’t find the end zone Sunday, but he did make a highlight-worthy one-handed fumble in the fourth quarter that led Brady to compare him to Vikings great Randy Moss.
Tom Brady on Justin Jefferson’s negative one-handed catch: ‘Randy Moss-esque’

That catch didn’t actually count because of a holding penalty. Still, Jefferson had eight receptions for 92 yards on Sunday, making some key grabs in the second half to help Minnesota win.
“He’s a great player, man,” Darnold said of Brady of Jefferson. “It’s a lot of fun playing with that guy. We’ve got JA — Jordan Addison — too. The speedy Jalen Naylor made some really good catches. TJ Hawkinson, I could go on and on about the guys we have.
“But yeah, Jets is a great player and I’m very lucky to have him as a teammate.”
This synergy between Darnold and Jefferson has led the Vikings to become one of the surprise teams of the 2024 regular season. Minnesota will have a chance to beat Detroit, which was the NFC North champion last year and one of the top Super Bowl favorites entering the year, next week.
But Darnold doesn’t see the Vikings as a little brother, focusing on work.
“We’ll continue to take it one game at a time, Tom. You know how we do,” Darnold said. “That’s been our mentality. That’s been our mentality all year. Actually, you know, throwing it back in April, that was our mentality then.
“Why change now?”
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