Vikings Sam Darnold dominates Giants in arguably his best gamer ever at MetLife

Sam Darnold didn’t see any ghosts as he returned to MetLife Stadium.Instead, this time around, all he saw was open receivers and green turf in front of them to run freely.The ex-Jets bust, in his first game as Vikings starting quarterback, carved up the Giants defense with ease Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium as the Giants were routed, 28-6, in their season opener.He completed 19 of 24 passes (79.2 percent) for 208 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, good for a stellar 113.2 passer rating.Early on, it seemed like he might not ever throw an incompletion.Darnold completed his first 12 passes and entered halftime 13 of 14 for 151 yards, a touchdown and a 135.4 passer rating.“For me, it was just coming out here and playing my game,” Darnold said.

“Playing one play at a time.Just playing with confidence.

I think that’s the biggest thing — we have a great offense, we have a great system, if I just play on time and do all the things I need to execute, we’ll be alright.”It really couldn’t have been any easier for Darnold, who had all day to throw nearly every time he dropped back.The Giants — whose pass-rush is supposed to be a strength with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux — only recorded one sack, by Dexter Lawrence, and it came on the Vikings’ second offensive snap of the game.

The Giants also only recorded two quarterback hits.That meant trouble for the Giants secondary, which entered the season as one of the team’s biggest question marks and was outclassed by Justin Jefferson and the rest of Minnesota’s pass-catchers.In the third quarter, Darnold threw a perfectly placed dime down the left sideline to Jefferson for 44 yards before finding him again for a 1-yard touchdown pass on fourth down a few plays later, capping a 99-yard, 11-play touchdown drive.“I think [Darnold] was a guy we thought he was going to be on film,” Thibodeaux said.

“He made some smart passes, he played a great game so it is what it is.”For Darnold...