Sam Darnold faces his former teammates on Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings.
Niners cornerback Deommodore Lenoir is ready to face the QB he saw plenty in practice last season.
"Me and Sam, we done have this connection, this connection, where he like to throw the ball to me,” Lenoir quipped with a beaming smirk, via KNBR. “This week I’m coming, he know it. But I know he’s a talented player. He's gonna come ready to work. I know how he prepares. He gave us great looks when played here with us, just taking over the scout team, he was throwing dimes. So I know it's going to have to be tight, sticky coverage."
Playing opposite Pro Bowler Charvarius Ward, Lenoir sees plenty of targets. In Week 1, the 49ers corner was targeted six times as the nearest defender, allowing four catches for 44 yards against the New York Jets, per Next Gen Stats. Expect similar against the Vikings on Sunday, which could provide Lenoir ample chance to get that interception of Darnold.
The Vikings quarterback shined in Week 1, generating 208 passing yards and two touchdowns with one interception for a 113.2 passer rating in a win over the New York Giants. It marked Darnold’s first game with two-plus pass touchdowns and a 110-plus passer rating since Week 12 against Oakland in 2019.
Entering 2024, Darnold had the lowest completion percentage (59.7), lowest passing TD-INT ratio (63-56), and lowest passer rating (78.3) in the NFL since being drafted in 2018 (among 39 QBs with 1,000-plus pass attempts).
After a resounding Week 1, which Darnold will we see against a formidable 49ers defense?