But McCarthy suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the preseason, and free agent signing Sam Darnold has led the Vikings to a surprising 14-2 record with a chance to win the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 overall seed on Sunday with a win over the Detroit Lions.

Having significantly increased his value across the NFL this season, Sam Darnold's future with the Minnesota Vikings will be one of the key questions

Quarterback Sam Darnold heads to Detroit riding the wave of a breakout season with the Vikings, whose hopes of capturing the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time since 1998 rest on his continued comfort and efficiency in a highly potent offense under coach Kevin O’Connell.