A ghost appeared at Ford Field on Sunday night.
Sam Darnold's abysmal performance in the Vikings' 31-9 loss to the Lions in the battle for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the NFC Championship left Sam Darnold looking more like the Jets version of himself than the potential franchise quarterback he resembled for much of the season. Looked like North Crown on 'Sunday Night Football'.
Darnold missed several potential touchdowns early in the game, hitting season lows in passing yards (166) and completion percentage (43.9 percent) after completing 18 of 41 attempts.
“Obviously, it was a disappointing game,” Darnold said. “Personally, I felt like we didn't make the throws we should have made in the red zone, especially early on. We just didn't execute like we wanted to.”
Darnold's resurgence was a big factor in the Vikings going into Sunday with a 14-2 record, but he didn't capitalize on the opportunity in the season's biggest moment.
This performance adds more pressure, as the story of his redemption season could change quickly if he plays similarly in the wild-card round against the Rams.
The 27-year-old is expected to sign a big contract this offseason after successfully leading the Vikings' offense in 2024.
The 2018 No. 3 draft pick, who once said he saw “ghosts” during the awful Jets-Patriots game, led four drives into the red zone, including two turnovers on downs. He only scored 6 points.
According to NBC, the Vikings scored touchdowns on 60 percent of their red zone drives entering the game.
The first drive came early in the second quarter with Minnesota down 7-0, and Darnold made three consecutive incompletions at the Lions' 5-yard line.
After making an interception on the Lions' next possession, giving the Vikings the ball at Detroit's 7-yard line, Darnold again threw three incompletions.
This time, head coach Kevin O'Connell opted for a field goal, closing the gap to 7-3.
“It looked like there were some opportunities, the chances being maybe seven people on the board,” O'Connell said. “He's had a lot of hits all season, but there wasn't one play that I called and the outcome of that play changed my mentality for Sam the rest of the day. I always thought he was next. I believe he will hit a lot of batters.”
Minnesota also tied the game at 7-6 after making a field goal late in the second quarter to get the ball within the 20, but failed to score on its first drive in what was a turning point in the game. Ta. Despite scoring first on the 5-yard line in the second quarter.
Receiver Jordan Addison appeared wide open for a touchdown on fourth down, but Darnold hesitated and then hit Addison with an incomplete shot in tight coverage.
Darnold said he felt fine with his feet and eyes and made some good reads during the game, but simply didn't make the throws he needed to.
O'Connell noted that Darnold missed high when he threw early.
“You can't win against a good team like that by just going down to the red zone and kicking field goals,” Darnold said. “Personally, I needed to get better and be able to hit throws in tight coverage.”
Darnold emphasized that he needs to watch the tape to fully assess what went wrong, but he has plenty of time to prepare for the Vikings' wild-card road game against the Rams next Monday. He emphasized that
The Rams were one of two teams to beat Minnesota this year, winning 30-20 at SoFi Stadium.
“Obviously we didn’t have the day we wanted,” Darnold said. “But we're looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in the playoffs and everything else. Just getting ready for the next step and going 1-0 next week.”
