Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before facing the Green Bay Packers.
In the biggest game of the NFL regular season, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was wildly inaccurate and erratic facing a rabid Detroit Lions defense in their own building.
With the No. 1 seed and NFC North division title on the line, Darnold completed just 18-of-41 pass attempts for a season-low 166 yards and a 43.9% completion rate. According to ESPN, Darnold was credited with eight overthrows in a shaky first half where the Vikings settled for two field goals and failed to convert on fourth down twice in that half.
Darnold never found his footing as he had throughout a 14-win regular season, resulting in a devastating 31-9 loss to the Lions on January 5.
When asked if the crowd affected him after the game, Darnold gave no credence that the game was too big for him.
“No,” he replied tersely.
.#Vikings QB Sam Darnold snorts at the possibility crowd noise had rattled him in a loss to the #Lions.😬
While Darnold wouldn’t admit playing rattled, his 34% off-target rate is the second-worst mark of his career and harkens back to one of his worst days with the New York Jets.
“The only game of his career in which [Darnold] exceeded a 34% off-target rate was when he played for the New York Jets in 2019, in a matchup with the New England Patriots in which NFL Films recorded him saying that he was ‘seeing ghosts’ on the sideline,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote.
Sam Darnold Keeps His Response to Lions Loss Short
Darnold has kept his presence at the press podium short and sweet throughout the season amid a comeback season for the 27-year-old.
Sunday night was no exception after the Vikings stumbled to the No. 5 seed and must face the Los Angeles Rams on “Monday Night Football” in the NFC wild-card round.
His five-minute news conference after the game could be summed up simply: “I missed some throws.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Darnold said. “Losing sucks. But it is what it is at the end of the day. I missed some throws and we lost to a good team.”
The Vikings’ inability to finish was historic. They failed to score a touchdown on four trips to the red zone, including three times with goal-to-go. They failed to convert twice on fourth down and also missed a field goal — all of which have never been done by a team in a single game in 30 years, according to OptaStats.
“We didn’t do a lot of the things that we have consistently done all season long,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “This game could have looked differently in the end, very easily, with one or two more plays down in the red zone being successful, the way that works with momentum and the way that works for the energy of your whole team.”
Vikings’ Backs Against the Wall Entering Playoffs
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings looks on against the Chicago Bears.
Had the Vikings picked up their 15th win of the season, their path to the Super Bowl would have been paved.
They’d have a bye week to rest and get healthy from the long season and have to win just two games at home to make it to the big game.
Instead, Minnesota must win three games, all likely on the road, starting next week when they must face their past demons, visiting the Rams on the road after falling to Los Angeles in Week 8 — just four days after their first loss to Detroit in Week 7.
“It doesn’t change anything about what this team is made up of,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said, per ESPN. “You can’t win nine in a row and then lose one and have that change how we operate. But that also doesn’t mean you can’t improve. … Sometimes you are hit in the mouth a little bit and you’ve got to respond.”
Trevor Squire is a sports journalist covering the NFL and NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks. Trevor studied journalism at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, making stops at the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @trevordsquire. More about Trevor Squire
