The Vikings have strings to pull if Sam Darnold’s Week 18 bleeds into the playoffs

Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings got an unexpected wake-up call after the embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions to end the NFL regular season. Sam Darnold had looked like a quarterback poised to be a franchise cornerstone for most of the season — but on the biggest stage with the brightest lights, he was a no-call, no-show. And (whether it’s official or not) it prompted O’Connell to make an insurance move in case the spotlight gets too much for Darnold again.

How likely are the Vikings to unleash Daniel Jones for his Vikings debut in the most important game of the season? I guess that’s entirely up to Sam Darnold. If he looks like he did against the Lions, Jones could make his debut as early as the break, I would think.

That said, barring major injuries, Jones is not likely to play for the first time with the Vikings in the playoffs. Nick Mullens has been Darnold’s backup all season, and Jones was activated to the lineup, presumably as an emergency.

O’Connell hasn’t tipped his hat to what role Jones will have — if any — in the postseason, saying only that he’s going with what gives the team the best chance to win. according to an ESPN story. Which coach advocates, “Even if I knew what I wanted to do, I won’t tell you.”

While Jones could work his way into being the new backup to Darnold, I doubt that will happen in week one. I think they will give Darnold one playoff game to prove that he can win.

If he loses to the Rams after having an elite season, well, Minnesota will send him away without batting an eye this spring. If he struggles, but the Vikings find a way to win, there’s a chance Jones will be the quarterback in waiting, barring a continued slump.

The Vikings got Jones and waited until the end of the season to activate him to show how important it is to wait to release him. They are in no rush to trot out Jones to start his rehab under O’Connell.

But activating him means they’re close to feeling he’s ready. And if nothing else, activating him gives him more of a sideline role on game day in preparation for next season.

O’Connell knows how fragile the quarterback position is and knows how important it is to get it right. So don’t expect to see Jones this week. But he could be closer to seeing the field again.

Darnold is the Vikings’ guy — and one bad game won’t change that. But it will give them a lot of clarity moving forward if he can’t even manage a playoff win. It would also be deja vu during the Kirk Cousins ​​era.