Vikings 23, Jets 17
SAM DARNOLD: Just real quick, I think obviously a win is a win. I think our defense, our special teams played out of their minds today, and I think as an offense, I think we've just got to find a way to continue to play consistent football.
The pre-snap penalties, the communication just has to continue to get better, but as a whole, I feel like we were able to make plays when we needed to, but we've just got to continue to get better that way.
Q. 2018 draft pick, third overall; three years later you're traded for a couple picks. For you to be in this position, 5-0, leading your team, even coming into the press conference that way, it's truly your ship. Now you're a candidate to be an MVP. I want to say I'm proud of you.
SAM DARNOLD: I appreciate that.
Q. How do you feel?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I think I feel good. Obviously we got things rolling. But like I said, man, there's so much room for improvement. For us to be able to go out there against a really good team and get a win like that shows you a lot about our resilience as a team, and as an offense, too, I think just going down, we would have loved to have scored a touchdown or to score a touchdown on that last drive.
But the way we were able to go down the field and continue to just play ball and not get caught up in how the game is going or the flow of the game.
I think we were just able to really continue to take it one step at a time throughout the game, and you know you're going to go through the ebbs and flows of it, and for us to just be able to have a good drive -- obviously we would have loved, like I said, to score. But to end it in a field goal and make them have to go the whole way and score a touchdown put a lot of pressure on them to go do that.
Q. You brought up resilience. You were resilient, so anyone else that may be dealing with something, what advice would you give them?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I think the biggest thing is lean on the people that you trust in the world, whether it's your friends, whether it's your family, whether it's your teammates, your coaches that you're with at the time. Just continue to lean on those people because whether you're going through tough times or whether you're having success like we are now, you've just got to continue to have those relationships.
When you have those relationships, you know who you are as a person, and for me, I'm very confident in who I am as a person. I'm never going to change that way.
I feel like we have a lot of guys in that locker room with that same kind of mindset, and that's just -- to be able to come into work every single day with guys like that, it's a blessing.
Q. What did you think of Van Ginkel?
SAM DARNOLD: It's incredible, man. Whenever you can get defensive touchdowns, it's always fun to watch, sitting there on the bench.
But yeah, I saw him catch it, and I was like, all right, cool, let's go. Grabbed my helmet, and five seconds later or whatever it was, eight, ten seconds later, he was in the end zone. I was like, all right, let's go, man, another pick six for Gink. It was awesome to see, awesome to see our defense play the way they did today.
Q. How much did losing Aaron Jones disrupt you?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I think for us, obviously Aaron is a great player, but we've just got to continue to have a next-man-up mentality. Kind of similar to what we did in the San Francisco game with Jets and Jordan being out and having guys being able to step up the way that they did. And Aaron going out in that game, as well, just having guys continue to step up the way they did, we're just always going to have that mindset of next man up.
Q. It's hard to win one game in the NFL, let alone five and be undefeated, especially when you have to travel abroad. How do you feel reflecting on those five games knowing that you are the quarterback of a 5-0 team, reflecting on what you've done so far?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I think for us, we have a lot of good things clicking right now as a team, but it's early. We know it's a long season, and we just -- again, like I said, kind of in the beginning, we've just got to continue to take it one step at a time, and if you get caught up in what people are saying about you and you're this or you're that. We weren't listening to anything that people were saying before the season, so why would we start now.
I think for us, it's kind of have that mindset.
Q. Did the moisture affect accuracy at all, trying to get a feel for the ball as the rain picked up there?
SAM DARNOLD: No, I felt like I had a good grip on it the whole time.
Q. Kevin (indiscernible) aggressive with the shots down the field. Is that something you felt like was there and that you were connected on, that there were opportunities there?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, there were definitely opportunities there that I missed. Like I said, we'll watch the tape and get better that way. But again, there's a lot of opportunity out there to be had, and we've just got to -- myself personally, just got to continue to take it one play at a time, and I feel like if I can do that, we'll be good.
Q. On those deep shots, did it feel like you were pressing a little bit or do you feel like (indiscernible)?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I'm always comfortable with the decisions that I make. You have to be as a quarterback. If you're ever doubting yourself out there, which is kind of some things that I did early in my career, it can be a long day. So I think just having that confidence in myself to be able to let it rip whenever I see something or when I'm confident, I feel like I can just continue to stay patient that way.
Wherever the coverage, wherever the defense, wherever they go and whatever guy is open, just throw it to him. It's as easy as that.
But for me, I think it's just continuing to see the field and just go through my reads and time my feet with my eyes, and if I can do that and stay patient that way, we'll be good.
Q. (Indiscernible)?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I think some of the biggest things, just to name a couple, are consistency and resiliency. I feel like that's kind of our MO. If we can continue to stay consistent and kind of like I talked about, like as an offense, just continue to sustain drives. You get in these 3rd and long situations which are tough.
I think for me, being able to put the ball in play and live to see another down and then go -- like I said, you go through ebbs and flows of every single game and just being able to have that resiliency to just take it one play at a time after that, that's kind of our mindset as an offense, but as a whole team, as well.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports