The dynamic 14-3 Minnesota Vikings’ season came to an end on Monday night, not with a bang but a whimper, as they were blown out 27-9 by the Los Angeles Rams. In an instant, one of the best campaigns in Vikings history was snuffed out in the Wild Card round in a rather uncompetitive fashion.
At the forefront of Minnesota’s struggles was quarterback Sam Darnold, who regrettably undid a season-long narrative of a “rebirth” of sorts by turning back into a pumpkin in the most inopportune moment. Darnold completed 25-of-40 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown, one interception, but was sacked nine times. The Vikings offense was completely inept all night long.
This is a stark difference from less than three weeks ago. On December 29th, Darnold torched the Green Bay Packers to the tune of 377 yards and three touchdowns in the 27-25 victory. At the moment, folks began to wonder if perhaps he might actually be the solution at quarterback for the Vikings. Which of course led those to wonder if JJ McCarthy, Minnesota’s first round pick might be available for the taking by an interested team.
An interested team… such as perhaps the Seattle Seahawks.
Well, after the last two weeks, it sure looks as if Darnold is not the solution for the Vikings. Before losing to the Rams, Minnesota was similarly blown out 31-9 by the Detroit Lions. With the NFC North championship and a first round bye on the line, Darnold laid another egg. This time, he completed only 43% of his passes for 166 yards as the Vikings offense was held to three measly field goals.
Darnold will be a free agent this offseason, and I am not exaggerating when I say he likely cost himself tens of millions of dollars these last two games. Now instead of negotiating some kind of extension with Minnesota, or perhaps getting the franchise tag (estimated to be in the neighborhood of around $40 million), Darnold may have lost plenty of leverage. When the Vikings faced their two biggest games of the year, he was at his worst.
Of course, this means an option to go in a different direction at quarterback for the Seahawks is also likely off the table. If I was Minnesota’s general manager, I would roll the dice with the quarterback I drafted instead of trying to run it back with Darnold. Choosing McCarthy could be a gamble, especially given his knee injury, but so is choosing to go with Darnold and hope a similar outcome does not happen again.
For now, the question at the game’s most important position persists for Seattle. Although, this time, the road forward appears to be a little narrower.
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