GLENDALE, Ariz. — The look on Gigi Wilf's face said it all. It was as if the owner and chairman of the Minnesota Vikings was watching a horror movie with a shocking ending. He walked out of the locker room and stood there for a few seconds, staring blankly at the crowd in front of him. His son Jonathan pointed him down a long hallway. And he slowly entered another offseason.
Why did it end so abruptly? How did a 14-win Vikings team swing so quickly from a potential No. 1 seed to being eliminated in the wild-card round? That's the question on Wilf's mind.
But none of them were this confusing. What happened to quarterback Sam Darnold?
Two weeks ago, Darnold's Vikings teammates doused him with water bottles as part of a locker room celebration after a win at U.S. Bank Stadium. Well, here they were on Monday night, zipping up their suitcases and heading to the bus after a crushing 27-9 loss to the underdog Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium.
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The conflict between the two scenes was stark and disorienting. In the first snapshot, Darnold, 27, appeared to have completed a career transformation and revitalized the organization in the process. In the second, it felt fair to wonder how much of Darnold's impressive play this season was a mirage.
“I think it's really important for us all to think about Sam's body of work,” Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said after the game. “It just didn't work out. I think Sam will be the first to say (could have played better).”
When a loss like this one occurs, there is usually more than one culprit. The offensive line is also an obvious line for Minnesota. The Rams sacked Darnold nine times, tying an NFL playoff record. Additionally, 12 Rams defenders generated at least one pressure, the most in a single game since Week 6 of 2021, according to Next Gen Stats.
Hecht spits out 'LA' after Rams' latest sack
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Allocating cap space and draft capital to Interior's offensive linemen will be a priority this offseason. O'Connell suggested the same thing Monday night.
Still, that concern pales in comparison to the importance of what happens at quarterback and what that means for everything else, which has been the case for the past two weeks. This is why Darnold's departure from the series was so unpleasant.
After playing well enough in the first 16 games to lead the Vikings to a 14-2 record and deservedly be in the NFL MVP conversation, Darnold struggled mightily in the final game of the regular season, scoring 31 points in Detroit. We lost 9-9. Against the Lions, he completed just 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards, posting the third-worst passer rating of 55.5 points and the highest throw percentage of the season (34.2 points).
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Those troubles continued against the Rams. His numbers of 25-of-40 passing for 245 yards, one touchdown, and one interception made it hard to believe Darnold's comfort level. He missed multiple throws. Darnold, who often threw pinpoint accurate balls this season, threw behind his receivers. He spun out of the pocket but failed to pick up the ball. His eyes often ran too quickly from right to left. His legs were constantly rotating back and forth. He tried to get around the pass rushers, but the pass rushers swallowed him up almost every time.
Darnold's system malfunctioned in almost every way. When it wasn't his vision, it was his footwork. It wasn't his vision or footwork, it was his arm.
“I threw too many pitches that I normally would,” he said later.
If he had said this early in his career in New York or Carolina, some might have laughed. But this season, while left to O'Connell's scheme and development process, he showed over a meaningful sample size that he can progress in rhythm, play the football with precision and withstand pressure.
Darnold also showed resilience and survived a difficult midseason period with the Colts and Jaguars, during which he threw five interceptions. It was a true testament to his ability to handle the grueling shooting sessions that he threw 18 touchdowns and two interceptions over the next seven games.
In late December, The Athletic“After conversations with team officials, one thing has become clear: The Vikings want to bring Darnold back to Minnesota in 2025,'' Dianna Russini reported. Separately, another Vikings staffer texted: “We hope we can keep him.” Darnold's MVP potential has increased. In the final home game of the season against the Packers, he completed 33-of-43 passes for 377 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, and was soaked by his teammates in the locker room afterwards.
Sam Darnold's experience continues. pic.twitter.com/k5db9DYdtp
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) December 30, 2024
This 2024 season for the Vikings, touted as a transition year for a more flexible future around rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy, exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.
“No one really believed in him outside of these walls,” running back Aaron Jones said of Darnold at the time. “No one gave him a chance. But he's proving everyone wrong.”
That was the crescendo, a byproduct of an infrastructure optimized for Darnold's image. At the time, the Vikings' staff reiterated the role rhythm and timing played in Darnold's success and how important it was for his feet and eyes to be in sync.
Buried in the jargon was an important reality. The more Darnold trusted and read the play calls, the more he focused on sticking to specific timings rather than watching the field and making decisions based on what he saw. What best summed up his struggles in Detroit and Arizona was a break in timing. Both the Lions and Rams affected Darnold's ability to climb into the pocket, with both teams mixing in countless stunts and exotic pressures to keep Darnold from getting comfortable, assessing downfield situations and making throws. .
There were numerous examples from Monday night. Early in the second quarter, Darnold dropped back and targeted the right sideline. Rams defensive lineman Braden Fisk pushes Vikings left guard Blake Blundell toward Darnold, who steps to the side and keeps his eyes on receiver Jordan Addison while receiver Jalen Naylor crossed the field. Darnold threw a pass toward Addison. However, the ball was delayed and behind Addison. It was intercepted by Rams cornerback Koby Durant..
Late in the quarter, the Rams hit safety Quentin Lake from deep. He slipped past right guard Dalton Risner, forcing Darnold to step up and shift his vision from right to left. He looked back to his right, unsure of what he was seeing. But before he could release the ball, another blitzer, Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, speared him in the back. Darnold fumbled, but Rams edge rusher Jared Verse recovered and rumbled 57 yards for a touchdown, extending Los Angeles' lead.
Jared Verse Scoop & Score!
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“There are some instances where I'll go back to my air-conditioned room tomorrow and watch that tape and be like, 'Man, why didn't I do this or that?'” O'Connell said. “But it's difficult at the moment. It's difficult because things happen so quickly in the world.”
Especially in the modern NFL, great quarterbacks have arms and athleticism, but it's the mind that separates the top-tier QBs. Matthew Stafford's operational ability on the other side of the field confirms this, and Monday night confirmed the prevailing opinion about the Vikings' future: Franchise or extend Darnold, who is set to become a free agent. Needs elsewhere that aren't aligned with the team's policies, especially inside the offensive line.
Of course, moving away from Darnold will raise questions. How ready is McCarthy? Which veteran options might the Vikings pair with McCarthy? And what does O'Connell think about having to build an entirely new quarterback option?
These are very different questions from Wilf's mind as he meandered through the stadium on Monday night. But they will soon embark on his destiny after a highly successful season ended in disappointment and a roller coaster season for the quarterback who was unable to polish the progress he had made. Dew.
(Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
