GLENDALE, Ariz. — The look on Ziggy Wilf’s face said it all. It was as if the Minnesota Vikings owner and chairman had just watched a horror movie with a sad ending. He walked out of the locker room and stood for a few seconds, staring blankly at the crowd in front of him. His son Jonathan directed him down a long corridor. Then he slowly moved into another offseason.
How did it all end so suddenly? How did a 14-win Vikings team go from potential No. 1 seed to losing in the wild-card round so quickly? Wilf’s mind was filled with questions like these.
However, none are as confusing as this one: What happened to quarterback Sam Darnold?
Two weeks ago, Darnold’s Vikings teammates threw water bottles at him as part of the locker room celebrations after a win at U.S. Bank Stadium. Now, they zipped up their suitcases and headed to the bus after a 27-9 loss to the lowly Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium on Monday night.
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The dichotomy between these two scenes is both stark and disorienting. In the first snapshot, Darnold, 27, appears to have made a career transition and inspired an organization in the process. Going into Game 2, we naturally wondered how much of Darnold’s impressive performance this season was just a mirage.
“I think it’s important that we all think about Sam’s job,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said after the game. “It didn’t work out, and I think Sam would be the first one to tell you (he could have played better).”
After a loss like this, there are usually multiple culprits. The offensive line is Minnesota’s other obvious offensive line. The Rams sacked Darnold nine times, tying an NFL playoff record. Additionally, 12 Rams defensemen generated at least one pressure, their most in a game since Week 6 of 2021, according to Next Gen Stats.
Hoecht spits out ‘LA’ after latest Rams sack
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Allocating cap space and draft capital to interior offensive linemen will be a top priority this offseason. O’Connell made the same suggestion Monday night.
Still, that concern pales in comparison to the importance of what’s happening at quarterback and what it means for everything else, which is why Darnold’s decline over the past two weeks has been so shocking.
Darnold was outstanding in his first 16 games, leading the Vikings to a 14-2 record and a legitimate claim to be among the NFL MVPs, but he struggled in the final game of the regular season and ultimately Lost to Detroit 31-9. Against the Lions, he completed just 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards, had his third-worst passer rating (55.5) and his highest passer breakup rate of the season (34.2).
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Those troubles continued against the Rams. His numbers — 25 of 40 passing for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception — belie Darnold’s comfort level. He missed several pitches. Darnold has often been accurate this season, but he’s throwing the ball behind his receivers. He spun out of the pocket but couldn’t get the ball off. His eyes often dart from right to left too quickly. His feet kept moving back and forth. He tried to evade pass rushers, but they engulfed him almost every time.
Darnold’s system is broken in almost every way. When it’s not his vision, it’s his steps. When it’s not his vision or footwork, it’s his arm.
“I usually throw too many pitches,” he said later.
If he had said that early in his career in New York or Carolina, some might have laughed. But this season, in O’Connell’s scheme and development, he’s proven in a meaningful sample size that he can progress at pace, pass the ball with accuracy and handle pressure.
Darnold also showed resilience, coming through a tough midseason stretch against the Colts and Jaguars in which he threw five interceptions. The way he responded to those tough tape sessions, throwing 18 touchdowns and two interceptions over the next seven games, was a testament to his ability.
late December, CompetitorAccording to Dianna Russini, “After speaking with team sources, one thing is clear: The Vikings want Darnold back in Minnesota in 2025.” Separately, another Vikings staff member texted: “I hope we can keep him.” Darnold’s chances of winning the MVP have increased. In the team’s final home game of the season against the Packers, he completed 33 of 43 passes for 377 yards, three touchdowns and one interception before being soaked by his teammates in the locker room.
The Sam Darnold story continues. pic.twitter.com/k5db9DYdtp
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) December 30, 2024
The Vikings’ 2024 season, billed as a transition year toward a more flexible future surrounding rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy, has exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.
“Outside of those walls, no one really believed in him,” running back Aaron Jones said of Darnold at the time. “Nobody gave him a chance. But he’s proving everybody wrong.
That’s the crescendo, a byproduct of optimizing the infrastructure in Darnold’s image. At the time, Vikings staff reiterated the role rhythm and timing play in Darnold’s success, as well as the importance of his feet and eyes being in sync.
Hidden in the jargon is an important reality: Darnold believed the call of the game and read into it so much that it was more about sticking to specific times than watching the field and making decisions based on what he saw. . The best way to sum up his struggles in Detroit and Arizona is as a time lapse. The Lions and Rams both impacted Darnold’s ability to crawl into the pocket, with both teams mixing in countless stunts and exotic pressures to make Darnold uncomfortable, assess situations downfield and throw.
There were many examples Monday night. Early in the second quarter, Darnold dropped back and stared at the right sideline. Rams defensive lineman Braden Fisk pushed Vikings left guard Blake Brandel toward Darnold, who sided over with his eyes on receiver Jordan Addison while catching the ball Hand Jalen Naylor was wide open as he crossed the court. Darnold threw a pass in Addison’s direction. But the ball came late, behind Addison, and Intercepted by Rams cornerback Kirby Durant..
Later in the quarter, the Rams attacked safety Quentin Lake from deep. He deftly got past right guard Dalton Risner, forcing Darnold to step up and shift his eyes from right to left. Unsure of what he saw, he looked back to his right. But before he could take action, another rusher, Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, stabbed him in the back. Darnold fumbled and Rams rusher Jared Verse recovered and rushed 57 yards for a touchdown, extending Los Angeles’ lead.
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“There are instances where you go back tomorrow and watch the tape in an air-conditioned room and you’re like, ‘Man, why didn’t I do this or that?'” O’Connell said. “But it’s difficult at the moment. Things are happening so fast and it’s difficult.
Good quarterbacks have arms and athleticism, especially in the modern NFL, but what separates the top quarterbacks is the brains. Matthew Stafford’s ability to operate on the other side of the field confirmed that, and Monday night confirmed the popular opinion about the Vikings’ future: a franchise tag or an extension for impending free agent Darnold , which makes no sense to the team.
Of course, moving on from Darnold raises some questions. Is McCarthy ready? Which veteran will the Vikings choose to pair with McCarthy? How does O’Connell feel about having to build an entirely new quarterback option?
Those questions were far different than what was on Wilf’s mind as he snaked around the stadium Monday night. But they would soon be his assignment after a wildly successful season that ended in disappointment, a roller coaster ride for a quarterback who couldn’t quite finish the progress he’d made. Same.
(Photo: Christian Peterson/Getty Images)
