The Minnesota Vikings manage a wild card loss to the Los Angeles Rams

On By Littum

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GLENDALE, Ariz. – The one Minnesota Vikings entered Monday’s playoff game against Los Angeles Rams as the first ever 14-win wild card team in league history, but when the clock struck midnight, the Vikings’ Cinderella season ended unceremoniously with a 27-9 loss.

“All that matters when you have a good season is what you do in the playoffs,” quarterback Sam Darnold, 27, told reporters Monday night after his first playoff start. “In the NFL, you only get one season with one team with everybody. And today wasn’t our day. It’s that simple.”

Darnold felt early pressure from Aries and it never let up during Monday’s wild card game, which moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, as devastating wildfires ravage the Los Angeles area. The Rams sacked Darnold a record nine times for a loss of 82 yards, tied for the most sacks in a playoff game. The Rams’ defense also forced two turnovers — an interception and a fumble returned for a touchdown.

VIKINGS VS RAMS: Rams beat Vikings in wild card game, tied NFL playoff record

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the loss wasn’t on any player — “It’s a ‘we’ thing. It’s all of us… Could I have coached better? I promise you I could have” — ​​but Darnold did. it is clear that he did not effectively lead the team as he has all season.

“I feel like there were a lot of sacks today that I was responsible for where I just held on to the football and took sacks,” said Darnold, who finished with 245 yards and a touchdown and an interception. “It’s up to me to be able to feel it (pressure) and either step up, move, run for a first down or just throw it away.”

After being demoted to a backup quarterback the past two seasons, Darnold had a renaissance year this season, leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record as a starter, Minnesota’s best regular season finish since 1998. The Vikings were expected to take the next step with a deep playoff run, featuring not only Darnold, but Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones, who each had 1,000+ yard receiving and rush hour.

But Minnesota’s two-game skid, including last week’s loss to the Detroit Lions, that could have clinched the NFC North title and the No. 1 overall seed for the Vikings – ended abruptly shortly after it began.

“It doesn’t feel right,” said Jones, who finished with 13 carries for 48 yards. “I know you have to take it one week at a time, but I definitely expected to play next week.”

‘The sky was the limit for us’

The Vikings quickly found themselves in a 10-0 hole less than seven minutes into the game after the Rams’ first two drives resulted in a touchdown and field goal. The Vikings answered back with a field goal of their own to cut their deficit to 10-3. Minnesota appeared to tie the game after sacking Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, resulting in a defensive touchdown. But the call was overturned and the points were wiped off the board after the refs determined Stafford threw an incomplete pass.

“I know that quarterback pretty well,” said O’Connell, who served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator during their Super Bowl run in the 2021-22 season. “I know when (Stafford) tries to throw to somebody and when he doesn’t, but that’s the explanation I got. We just had to keep playing.”

On the Vikings’ next possession, Darnold’s pass intended for receiver Jordan Addison was picked off by the Rams’ Cobie Durant. The possession after Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon sacked Darnold and forced a fumble that was returned by Jared Verse for a 57-yard touchdown to go up 17-3. At halftime the Vikings were down 24-3 and the wind was out of their sails. Darnold connected with tight end TJ Hockenson for a 26-yard touchdown in their quarter, but it was too little, too late.

“We didn’t do enough to win. That’s what happens in this league,” Vikings safety Josh Metellus said with tears in his eyes. “We had a special group. This team is one of the best teams I’ve ever been on. The sky was the limit for us. It was about going 1-0. Today we were 0-1. It just happened to be the last.”

Jones added that he’s “sad for my brothers and sad for how it went. We played our butt off all year and then today everybody came out and everybody left it on the field even though it wasn’t the result we wanted,” Jones said. “The team changes year after year. It’s a real brotherhood in this locker room, some guys might not be back and you feel it. That’s the locker team I’ve been on. I love these guys.”

What’s next for Sam Darnold?

Darnold is set to enter free agency after playing out his one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings. He looked set to remain a starter whether he was with the Vikings or with another team, but his stumbling to the finish line the past two weeks could affect his future. However, Darnold said that’s a conversation for another day.

“I’m not worried about that. It’s in the past,” Darnold said Monday. “Right now I’m thinking about what I could have done better today and just spending time with the team in the locker room.”

Jefferson noted that the question marks surrounding the team’s future quarterback felt like deja-vu.

“It was the same type of situation last year. I didn’t know who my quarterback was going to be and I really didn’t care,” said Jefferson, who was held to five receptions for 58 yards Monday. “I have the confidence in myself to go out there and still perform the way I’ve performed. It’s not my job to say who’s going to be the quarterback or who I want to be the quarterback.”

Whatever happens, O’Connell said two bad games shouldn’t discredit Darnold’s Pro Bowl-caliber season: “I’m proud of (Darnold), proud of really everybody in that locker room. But Sam (Darnold), raise him and I continued this year will always have a special place in my heart.”

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