The final week of the regular season was a tough one for the Minnesota Vikings, who needed to beat the Detroit Lions at Ford Field to clinch first place in the NFC. The resounding loss to their division rivals put the spotlight on Sam Darnold after a poor performance by the quarterback, who is now focused on the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.
Faced with the possibility of being the best team in the conference, the Vikings found themselves with a loss that dropped them to fifth place in the standings. With a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams looming on Monday night, the 14-3 record is of little consequence.
Darnold knows there is no room for failure at this point. His NFL career began a long time ago, and the Minnesota quarterback has gained a wealth of experience despite being just 27 years old, so he knows what it means to perform well in win-or-go-home games.
Darnold’s powerful message ahead of playoffs
“It’s kind of where legacies, I guess, are made. Not just winning games, but winning those later games like AFC, NFC championships, winning Super Bowls. That’s how you’re going to be remembered,” Darnold declared to the Minneapolis Star Tribune about being in the playoffs.
Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings
Darnold’s bad game against the Lions
The Vikings offense clearly did not perform on Sunday Night Football against Detroit. Quarterback Darnold’s numbers explain that overall impression, as the 27-year-old completed just 18 of 41 passes (his third-worst mark of the season) and added just 166 passing yards (his lowest total of the current campaign) in the game against the Lions. The Minnesota star will be looking to put that bad image behind him when he takes on the Rams.
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Darnold’s unexpected career turnaround
Darnold’s powerful pre-playoff message has context to explain it. This is the first time the former Carolina Panthers quarterback will start a postseason game. In his first year with the Vikings, the 27-year-old is having his best year by every metric, far surpassing his previous campaigns. A win next Monday would rewrite his professional history.
