Sunday’s NFC North tilt between the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings and the 4-1 Detroit Lions won’t just be a matchup for division supremacy or a possible taste of the playoffs.

It will also be a showdown between two former top draft picks, quarterbacks Jared Goff and Sam Darnold. Goff, who was picked first, and Darnold, who was selected third, were discarded by their original teams (the Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets, respectively) before finding a home with their current squads.

Goff, who signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension with the Lions in May after leading them to the NFC championship game last season, is firmly entrenched as Detroit’s starter. Darnold, on the other hand, came into this season as the presumed placeholder for rookie JJ McCarthy, but was thrust into a more important role after McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason.

Still, Darnold’s success this year has seemingly created a path for him to become a full-time starter, whether he’s with the Vikings or not. And he only has to look at Goff to see what’s possible.

When Goff was traded to the Lions in March 2021, he was largely viewed as a stopgap that could make the team competitive during a rebuild or, at worst, as a salary dump by the Rams.

Here’s how Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer described the Goff trade in part:

“So at the very least, I think (Detroit coach Dan Campbell) has a capable bridge quarterback in Jared Goff who can take him to the next quarterback.”

And this is how the trade was described by The Ringer’s Kevin Clark:

“(The Rams) essentially had to pay one first-round pick and one third-round pick for (Matthew) Stafford, and then another first to get out of Goff’s contract. This was a quarterback upgrade with a salary dump on the side.”

There were plenty of reasons to call that the conventional wisdom at the time. Goff – who led the Rams to Super Bowl 53 in 2018 – had declined in production in consecutive seasons and had fallen out of favor with Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay. And teams don’t trade their franchise quarterback for draft capital unless they’re rebuilding.

The trade initially more or less met mediocre expectations for Detroit. Goff wasn’t great in his first year with the Lions, going 3-10-1 and throwing just 19 touchdowns, the fewest since his rookie season.

He did have some luck, though.

Detroit, which was the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, opted not to select a quarterback after taking three before that slot. (The two taken later in the first round — Justin Fields and Mac Jones — were better prospects and are already on their second team.) The Lions didn’t select one in 2022 either, in a QB-poor draft that had only one . (Kenny Pickett, also on his second team) taken in the first round.

With no competition at quarterback, Goff took advantage in 2022. He had his best season since 2018 (when he led Los Angeles to the Super Bowl), posting a 9-8 record with 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions – which instilled confidence that he could be more than a bridge. Last year, Goff threw 30 touchdown passes for the first time in five seasons and led Detroit to its first NFC title game since 1991.

Darnold’s route to Sunday was more circuitous and less successful. He certainly never made a Super Bowl with the Jets. He never threw more than 19 touchdowns in a season. And he played for two other teams — the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers — before landing in Minnesota.

With the Vikings, however, Darnold has posted the best passer and quarterback ratings of his career to date. And in every game but one, he’s thrown for multiple touchdowns.

Yes, McCarthy – the No. 10 pick in April’s draft – is lurking. But would Minnesota move on from Darnold if he can lead the team to playoff success? Especially when McCarthy is unknown as a professional?

There is certainly still a long way to go. Darnold hasn’t had the highs of Goff’s past, and there are 10,000 more between a 5-0 start and a pair of playoff wins. But Sunday’s game is a huge opportunity for him to prove he can be the quarterback who can deliver big wins to the Vikings. (Just forget the division, the Lions will enter this game as a Super Bowl contender.)

If Minnesota is lucky, the quarterback will take the next step to prove he can provide a long-term solution. The Vikings just have to look over the line of scrimmage to see how far a split can take them.