Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Sam Darnold

Sunday, January 5, 4:15 PM

Washington Commanders Marcus Mariota led the Commanders to a thrilling victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. Mariota replaced Jayden Daniels at the start of the second half. With the Commanders already locked into a playoff spot, they opted to protect their rookie QB. However, this victory pushed them up to the No.6 seed in the NFC. Over the final two quarters, Mariota went 15-for-18 with 161 yards and two touchdowns. He added 56 yards and a score on five carries. He found Zach Ertz on a five-yard strike late in the third quarter. Then in the fourth, Mariota punched in a score at the goal line and would then find his top wideout Terry McLaurin on a game-winning five-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds. Mariota also saw time in Week 7 against the Panthers when Daniels left early with a rib injury. He was sharp in that game as well going 18-for-23 with 205 yards and two scores.

Tuesday, January 14, 4:51 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold resurrected his career by leading the Vikings to 14 wins in 2024 while posting career-highs in passing yards (4,319) and touchdowns (35), but he came crashing down hard in losses to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round in which he had a combined 23 off-target throws and took 11 sacks. Darnold's future is now as unsettled as ever as he heads toward free agency in March, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes that Darnold is still the top free-agent QB. The teams that Fowler has spoken with recently forecasted Darnold in the Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield weight class of contracts. Mayfield got a three-year, $100 million deal last offseason with Tampa, while Smith signed a three-year, $75 million deal before the 2023 season. Darnold tanked to end the year, but he did enough to find work as a starter somewhere else if Minnesota doesn't want him back.