Murphy: Out with a whimper

Brian Murphy writes about a total system failure in the Vikings playoff loss to the Rams

Jan 14, 2025

By Brian Murphy

As dramatic responses to disaster go, this was Fredo whimpering “I’m smAHT!” to Michael in the boathouse.

The Minnesota Vikings don’t lose playoff games, they bleed out, leaving their suffering fan base marinating in the bitter aftertaste of simple validation. No point needling the generational angst that metastasizes with every January crash.

Misery is the DNA that binds this sports market, misplaced optimism the nectar that lures everyone back to the trough for just one more bite. “Disaster in the Desert” is circulating as the latest T-shirt or bumper sticker tagline for Minnesotans to recite with a knowing wink and reflexive swig.

The favored Vikings were spoon fed a neutral site to face an underdog opponent fretting whether their pets and possessions would turn to ash while the NFL postseason party played on. The refugee Rams scrambled to escape the raging infernos of Los Angeles and tapped into their resolve while Minnesota resolved to punch their gift horse in the mouth.

The Vikings’ 27-9 loss Monday night was their worst postseason meltdown since the last one. Eight days after no-showing in Detroit for a chance at the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a wild-card bye the Vikings are packing for another winter of discontent, vanquished in the first round way too easily for the second time in three years under coach Kevin O’Connell.

O’Connell’s teams have been outscored 58-33 in losses to two playoff underdogs, this year’s Rams and the 2022 Giants led by quarterback Daniel Jones, who is cashing New York paychecks while collecting dust on Minnesota’s practice squad.

The Vikings were exposed as frauds in Week 18 against the Lions. The Rams confirmed it. No wonder all four of their losses came in head-to-head battles with the Super Bowl-or-bust Lions and the resurgent Rams, who have Super Bowl pedigree.

O’Connell and his star defensive coordinator Brian Flores have been de-pantsed twice by these elite teams and their elite quarterbacks. Crown them as schematic 14-win geniuses but there can be no whitewashing.

Unable to adjust or counterpunch on either side of the ball, the Vikings were left chasing points and solutions to stop Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay’s band of playmakers and wondering how quarterback Sam Darnold could implode again and demolish such a promising season so fast.

Home field. Neutral Field. Mars. Stafford can ventilate the Vikings anywhere, and the 16-year veteran seems poised for another rematch with Jared Goff and the Lions in the NFC championship game.

Meanwhile, with J.J. McCarthy mending in the wings, Darnold’s future in Minnesota was never guaranteed beyond 2024, no matter how effectively he had resurrected his career. But back-to-back failures when the stakes were highest rekindled every hot take that derailed Darnold the moment he arrived in New York in 2018 as the Jets’ No. 3 overall pick.

I thought Darnold’s teammates only doused him with water in the locker room after he roasted the Packers two weeks ago at U.S. Bank Stadium, not mercury.

It wasn’t just the turnovers and inaccuracy that plagued him, but the indecisiveness and happy feet in the pocket that belied everything we thought we had learned about the first-time Pro Bowler.

The Rams sacked him nine times – NINE – including six in the first half, when the game was still relevant. Darnold’s inability or unwillingness to get rid of the ball was beyond negligent. It was felonious.

“I clearly didn’t play well enough the past couple weeks,” said Darnold, vanilla and understated to the bitter end.

No doubt Darnold flushed tens of millions of free-agent dollars down the toilet with his breathtaking downfall. But it’s not like he’s going to be panhandling, folks.

There’s always a sucker owner or general manager willing to overpay for an experienced quarterback from a limited supply and pair him with a head coach or offensive coordinator absolutely convinced they can fix whatever’s broken.

Franchise-tagging Darnold for about $40 million and leveraging him for trade assets seems too expensive when there are so many holes for the Vikings’ front office to fill.

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has ample salary cap space to invest in the interior offensive line, which has plagued Minnesota for years and was exploited by Detroit and Los Angeles to dramatic effect.

There will be defensive veterans to replace from a Flores-led unit that created so much havoc and so many turnovers until suddenly it didn’t, victimized by Stafford and Goff’s savvy and downfield prowess and, ultimately, Darnold’s inability to keep pace.

Nobody wants to hear this today but the Vikings are well-positioned to remain an NFC North powerhouse, with the Lions all-in this season, the Packers regressing and the Bears doing Bears things.

Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones are formidable offensive weapons that can ease McCarthy’s development and keep O’Connell’s playbook wide open.

Cold comfort to the afflicted who watched with familiarity as another magical four months swirled down the drain of another awful week.