Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold’s career year spiraled in the final two games of the season, but after the playoff loss on Monday, head coach Kevin O’Connell pointed to the bigger picture.
“What he was able to do this year, when not very many people thought he would be able to lead a team to 14 wins, which is rare,” O'Connell told reporters after a 27–9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. “The way he came in, committed himself to just a daily process to be the best version of himself.”
“It did not work out in the end. I think Sam would be the first one to tell you,” O’Connell said. “Could he have played better tonight? I’m sure he would tell you he could have. Could I have coached better? I promise you I could have. Could our team have rallied around a play here and there to keep it close? For sure.”
In Darnold’s first career playoff start, little to nothing worked. He got sacked nine times, threw an interception, and his offensive drives without a touchdown reached 21, which went back to Week 18.
Darnold didn’t look much better before the Wild Card game in a 31–9 loss to the Detroit Lions on Jan. 5. With the home-field advantage on the line at Ford Field, Darnold went 18-41 passing for 166 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Darnold struggled with the Lions pass rush, although he only took two sacks in that loss. The Rams acted on the same formula and smothered Darnold all night in Arizona at State Farm Stadium.
“You’ve got to find a way to check the ball down and just keep moving the ball forward,” O’Connell said. “Completions have a negative effect on defenses. They just do. Those moments when you’re holding that ball, and your reaction is ... try to make a play.”
Darnold went 24-40 for 245 yards and a touchdown against the Rams, but his touchdown pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson didn’t come until late in the third quarter amid a 27–3 deficit. Other than that lone bright spot, Darnold lost 82 yards on the nine sacks, which included a fumble that Rams linebacker Jared Verse returned 57 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and a commanding 17–3 lead.
“It’s up to me to be able to feel that and either step up, move, go run for a first down, or just simply throw it away,” Darnold told reporters afterward. “I felt like there were a lot of sacks that I was responsible for, where I was just holding on to the football and taking sacks where I could have dirted it at someone’s feet or simply thrown it over someone’s head.”
Darnold, who had been projected for a big payday this offseason, acknowledged the impact of these two losses. His final two games will be weighed against his otherwise stellar season of 4,319 yards passing for 35 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions.
“I'll have a lot of time after this to think about what the season entailed,” Darnold said. “But to be honest, I’m just thinking about today and what I could have done better.”
