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EAGAN, Minn. -- The NFL is awash this season with concerns about quarterback play and the lockdown that defenses have shown on downfield throwing -- for most teams, anyway.
In Minnesota, the message to quarterback Sam Darnold has been decidedly different.
"If I've told him once I've told him 100 times," coach Kevin O'Connell said this week, "'You're as talented of a deep-ball thrower as I've been around, and I want you to take the [opportunities], and I want you to be confident to pull the trigger.'"
Some of that conviction arises from the Vikings facing defenses that use a two-high safety scheme to limit big downfield plays from star receiver Justin Jefferson.