Home Sports Sam Darnold’s disastrous playoff debut on heels of Lions loss leaves Vikings with a big offseason decision

Sam Darnold’s disastrous playoff debut on heels of Lions loss leaves Vikings with a big offseason decision

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With the lights on, Sam Darnold didn't know the moment Monday night. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

Just two weeks ago, Sam Darnold was in the midst of a dream season and lining up for a career payday.

Two disastrous performances later in the biggest games of his career, and his football future suddenly looks murky.

Darnold was outplayed and overwhelmed Monday night in the first playoff game of his career. The result was a 27-9 victory for the Los Angeles Rams over their Vikings that eliminated Minnesota from the postseason. The loss concludes a 14-win season for the Vikings with a thud and without a playoff win.

The Rams came into Monday’s game with a clear game plan: pressure Darnold early and often and see how he responds. It worked from the Vikings’ first series. Darnold was indecisive all night and was frequently inaccurate when getting rid of the ball.

With the lights on, Sam Darnold didn’t know the moment Monday night. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

The Rams sacked Darnold on Minnesota’s second play from scrimmage, setting up third-and-21 and ultimately forcing a three-and-out. Another sack by Darnold stunted Minnesota’s second drive and limited the Vikings to a field goal.

Minnesota’s third possession ended in an interception. Cobie Durant anticipated Darnold’s pass to Jordan Addison in the flat and jumped the route near midfield.

Minnesota’s next possession had an even worse fate. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon fired from the left edge and hit Darnold for a sack. Darnold never saw it coming. Rookie linebacker Jared Verse scooped up the ball and ran untouched down the sideline for a 57-yard touchdown to extend the Rams’ lead to 17-3.

At halftime, the Vikings sacked Darnold two more times for a total of six. According to ESPN, that’s the most first-half sacks by a team in a playoff game since Washington against the Vikings in the 1988 NFC Championship Game.

The Rams’ sixth sack of the game by Kobie Turner resulted in a turnover in Rams territory. The Rams responded with a 39-yard touchdown run to extend their lead to 24-3 before halftime.

Darnold was moderately better in the second half and led the Vikings to a touchdown in the third quarter. But it was too little and too late. The first-half hole proved too big to climb out of. A fourth-quarter sack snuffed out hopes of a miraculous comeback, and the Rams cruised to an outright victory.

Darnold finished the night completing 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He took nine sacks for a loss of 82 yards and lost a fumble. It was Darnold’s second consecutive terrible performance when the lights of the season were brightest.

The Vikings had a chance to skip the wild card round in a winner-take-all regular-season finale against the Lions last week for the NFC North and the top playoff spot. They lost 31-9, on a night when Darnold had trouble shooting the ball. He finished that game completing 18 of 41 passes (41.9%) for 166 yards with no touchdown.

After the high-stakes flops, the Vikings now enter the offseason with a big decision about the most important position in football. Are they trying to rehire Darnold? Do they let Darnold walk as a free agent and hand the reins to JJ McCarthy?

Darnold was never supposed to be in this position to begin with. The Vikings drafted McCarthy last year in the first round out of Michigan as their quarterback of the future. They hired Darnold as a veteran bridge and anticipated backup for when McCarthy was ready to take the starting role.

A meniscus injury ended McCarthy’s rookie season before it began, and Darnold was thrust back into the spotlight. He had failed in previous starting opportunities with the Panthers and Jets after New York selected him with the third overall pick in the 2018 draft.

This time, in his third attempt as a starter in his seventh NFL season, he shined. He led the Vikings to the third-best record in football at 14-3. He made the first Pro Bowl of his career while completing 66.2% of his passes for 254.1 yards per game with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

It was a story of professional redemption in a sport that loves redemption stories. But the chapter on the 2024 season concludes with a giant asterisk that will be too big for the Vikings to ignore. That asterisk will certainly cost Darnold money. Ultimately, it could cost him another season as Minnesota’s starter.

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