Sam Darnold did nearly everything right in a renaissance season, resurrecting his career as a starter while pushing Minnesota to one of the NFL’s best records. A deep playoff run was the expected next step.
That didn't happen. A disappointing night in the desert instead rammed Darnold and the Vikings right out of the postseason and Darnold spent most of Monday night's game getting plucked off the Arizona turf by his teammates.
Darnold was ineffective for most of of his first playoff start, losing two turnovers while matching an NFL record by taking nine sacks in the Vikings’ 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wild-card round on Monday night.
“I clearly didn’t play well enough the past couple weeks,” said Darnold, who finished 25 of 39 for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception. “Just left too many throws out there that I usually make. I’ve got to take better care of the football.”
This was not the ending the Vikings had in mind.
Coach Kevin O’Connell garnered plenty of praise in his third season, using creative play-calling to lead Minnesota (14-4) back into the playoffs after going 7-10 a year ago.
"I know I've got to be better for our team," O'Connell said after the game. "I've got 100% confidence in our players, our coaches. We've got the right kind of things going on in this organization, but we've got to find a way to play better."
Darnold was the catalyst for O’Connell’s offense after being cast into a backup role. But the last two weeks - must win games in Detroit and in the playoffs - and Darnold struggled mightily.
"At the end of the day, all that matters is when you have a good season, what do you do in the playoffs? And we didn't get it done to then and that's all that matters," Darnold explained.
WCCO's Henry Lake says clearly the entire team was a letdown, but Darnold led the charge.
"It just looked like we were, we were not ready," said Lake on the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar. "And Sam Darnold looked very jittery. He was holding on to the football way too long and way too many turnovers."
There was a fumble returned for a TD by the Rams plus another interception. But it was pressure on Darnold all night long that doomed the Vikings.
Nine sacks tied an NFL playoff record. According to NFL NexGenStats, only 2 of Darnold's sacks came in less than 4.4 seconds, and none came faster than 3.2 seconds. That, in the NFL, is holding the football too long. Whether it was receivers not getting open, or Darnold just being unable to pull the trigger on passes, it was a bad night for the offense.
Holding the ball too long lead to this ugly piece of history: Darnold became the first quarterback this century to be sacked six times in the first half of a playoff game. Two came at critical moments.
With Minnesota trailing 10-3 in the second quarter, Darnold held the ball a split second too long and was stripped on a sack by Ahkello Witherspoon. The ball bounced right to Rams linebacker Jared Verse, who scooped it up and raced in for a 57-yard touchdown.
“All the plays he does make off schedule, a lot of guys around the league can make those plays, but there is a level of understanding the situation of hey, we can’t allow such a game-changing play to happen,” O’Connell said.
Hoping for a spark just before halftime, O’Connell opted to go for it on fourth-and-2 from midfield on the next drive. Minnesota instead gave the spark to the Rams, turning it over on downs when Darnold was sacked.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford followed with a 13-yard touchdown pass to backup tight end Davis Allen for a 24-3 halftime lead.
“When there are people coming off the edge, it’s up to me to find a window to throw it,” Darnold said. “I felt like there were a lot of sacks I was responsible for.”
Darnold managed to overcome some badly missed throws in the third quarter to find T.J. Hockenson on a 26-yard touchdown pass. The Vikings’ 2-point attempt failed, leaving them in a 27-9 hole — and on their way out of the playoffs.
The third overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft spent three mediocre seasons as the New York Jets’ starter, played two seasons with Carolina and was the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco last year.
Not surprisingly, Darnold arrived in the Twin Cities without a lot of fanfare, but he quickly pulled Vikings fans onto his bandwagon after rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. He set career highs in every key statistical category to earn his first Pro Bowl nod and became the first quarterback to win 14 games his first season with a team.
“I think it’s very important we all think about Sam’s body of work, what he was able to do this year when not very many people thought he would be able to,” O’Connell said.
For all Darnold did right, his season — and Minnesota’s with it — came to a crashing close in two disappointing losses.
A week ago, Minnesota had a chance to lock up the top seed in the NFC against Detroit. Darnold labored, often holding the ball too long while finishing 18 of 41 for 166 yards passing and no touchdowns. The Vikings lost 31-9 and were forced to play on the road instead of at home, facing the Rams in a game that was moved to Arizona because of devastating wildfires in Southern California.
No the Vikings head into in offseason with a lot of questions around the most important position in sports, the quarterback. Run it back with Darnold? Turn the team over to McCarthy? Try to buy another year with a veteran such as former Giant Daniel Jones, who the Vikings picked up after he was cut in New York?
It'll be the most important thing for O'Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to figure out between now and next fall.