Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold didn’t see any ghosts in his return to MetLife Stadium, but the one-time Jets first-round pick found plenty of open receivers.
Darnold was 19-of-24 for 208 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings rolled to a 28-6 win over the Giants to kick off the 2024 season. It’s the first time Darnold has started a win for his team since he was with the Panthers during the 2022 season.
Darnold’s first touchdown came on a three-yard throw to wide receiver Justin Jefferson that capped a 99-yard drive in the second quarter of the game. His second was a 21-yard strike to Jalen Nailor in the third quarter and that score stretched the Vikings’ lead to 18 points.
The Vikings also got a strong debut from running back Aaron Jones. He was a longtime adversary as a Packer, but Jones ran for 94 yards and a score to help out his new club.
The final Vikings score came from their defense as linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel snagged a Daniel Jones pass at the line of scrimmage and strolled 10 yards for a score. Jones would throw another interception in the fourth quarter as safety Harrison Smith picked him of in the end zone and there wasn’t much to like about the offense’s overall performance in the quarterback’s return from a torn ACL.
Their only points in the first half came on a field goal after they took over on the Vikings’ 20-yard-line following a fumble and they punted five times through the first three quarters of play. Jones padded the final stats in the fourth quarter and he did find first-round pick Malik Nabers five times, but the Giants had a difficult time moving the ball for the most part and they made nine penalties for 95 yards to make life even more difficult for themselves.
The Giants will now move on to road games in Washington and Cleveland and memories of last season’s 2-8 start will hang over the team until they can show a bit more than they did in the opener. The Vikings will have Darnold’s former teammates from the 49ers visiting next weekend and they’ll be hoping to get wide receiver Jordan Addison back from an ankle injury for that one.