The Minnesota Vikings had a dominant regular season, with Sam Darnold playing a key role in their 14 victories, but everything went wrong in the playoffs. Recently, they were eliminated in the Wild Card round, falling 27-9 to the Los Angeles Rams. After the game, Darnold had to admit some tough truths about his performance.
According to Darnold’s statements after the loss to the Rams, one of the first things he admitted was that his mistakes played a major role in the defeat. “Too many mistakes on my end,” he said, adding that most of the sacks were his fault. “There were a lot of sacks that I was responsible for.” In total, the Vikings allowed 9 sacks, resulting in a loss of 82 yards.
he was also asked a tough question about his future with the Vikings, to which he simply responded, “Right now I’m thinking about what I could have done better today.” It’s worth noting that his contract with the Vikings runs through the end of the current season.
Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings had a solid regular season, finishing with a 14-3 record and earning a postseason berth. Darnold threw for 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, proving he has a strong arm and is capable of playing at a high level for many more years. He also made history as the first quarterback to win 14 games in his first season with a new team. Darnold has played for four teams since 2018 (Jets, Panthers, 49ers, and Vikings).
"Too many mistakes on my end." - Sam Darnold 🎥: @MatthewColler
Sam Darnold has the 3rd worst Total Sack EPA by any QB in any game played since 2000 😬 Darnold vs. the Rams ranks 15,467th out of 15,470
Kevin O’Connell Reflects on Darnold’s Future with Vikings
During the postgame press conference, head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke cautiously about Darnold’s future with the team following the quarterback’s mistakes in their playoff loss. “I think that can stay with him moving forward… Sam and that journey him and I went on will always be something that has a special place in my heart,” O’Connell said. However, his message did not provide a clear indication on whether Darnold would return for another season.
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O’Connell refrained from directly commenting on Darnold’s poor performance in the game. “It did not work out in the end, and I think Sam would be the first one to tell you, could he have played better tonight? I’m sure he would tell you he could have.” He also admitted his own role in the loss, acknowledging, “Could I have coached better? I’m positive I could have.”