Sam Darnold spent one season with the Minnesota Vikings before signing with the Seattle Seahawks this past offseason. It isn't his fault that he is no longer with the Vikings; the team didn't want him back. Minnesota's loss has certainly been Seattle's gain.
In fact, while Darnold might not feel vengeful about not being welcomed back to Minnesota, the Vikings shouldn't feel the same. The quarterback was pushed out instead of wanting out. If one has a greater reason for a revenge game, it is Darnold.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores might not feel that way, though. While Flores was with the team last year, too, he seems to have a bit of a slight against the quarterback. It isn't personal, though; it's business. His defense has a job to do, and Darnold's job is to beat them.
Vikings' Brian Flores issues warning for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold
Speaking with the media in the days before the Seahawks host the Vikings in Week 13, Flores said, "He did a lot when he was here, and clearly those things are continuing to show up for him out there in Seattle. We had a great rapport, friendship. I’m happy for him, but we’ll blitz him this week."
This shouldn't be overly surprising, of course, as the Vikings blitz on 42.9 percent of passing downs, most in the league. The interesting aspect is a coach being so blatant about doing something during an upcoming game. Flores loves to blitz, and it works fairly well, and he isn't going to change for any quarterback.
Moreover, Minnesota applies pressure on 29.1 percent of pass attempts, second-most in the NFL. (The Seahawks rarely blitz and apply pressure the third-most at 29.0 percent.)
All those blitzes do put pressure on the Vikings' secondary, though. Minnesota is 24th in the league in quarterback rating allowed at 98.0. The team also has only three interceptions, second-least in the league.
In other words, Sam Darnold should get his chances to create explosive plays (likely to Jaxon Smith-Njigba) in Week 13, but he could also be under pressure a lot. He must be careful of second half turnovers, though. Most of his turnovers this season have come after halftime.
If the game is close, and it really shouldn't be, as the Vikings will probably start an undrafted rookie free agent at quarterback as starter J.J. McCarthy (who isn't great himself) is dealing with a concussion, Minnesota could steal a victory if Darnold makes too many late mistakes, crippling the Seahawks' playoff hopes.