What happened to Sam Darnold against the Rams? What happens next?
Kevin O'Connell had several explanations for Darnold's brutal playoff loss to the Rams and very few hints about where the QB position is headed
By Matthew Coller
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The best way to describe the state of Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell following his team’s 27-9 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium on Monday night would be: in a state of shock.
Following the game, in possibly the same room where Denny Green once gave his “they are who we thought they were” speech, O’Connell hunted for explanations about how they could be run out of the building by a team that won four fewer games than them in the regular season and ranked lower in both points for and points against.
“You have to play to a certain standard and we did not do that,” O’Connell said in his opening statement. “Way too many negatives on offense, missed opportunities and things that we could all do better.”
The negatives on offense and missed opportunities were largely due to the struggles of quarterback Sam Darnold. He picked up just 245 yards on 40 attempts and lost 82 yards on nine sacks, including an interception and game-changing fumble that turned into a Rams touchdown. ESPN’s QBR metric scored Darnold’s performance a 13.6 (out of 100), his fourth worst since 2021.
What happened to the Pro Bowl quarterback who ranked in the top 10 in QB rating and threw 35 touchdowns in the regular season?
O’Connell focused on how much the pressure that the Rams created impacted his quarterback.
“There were a couple of those there where we were able to scheme up a guy on paper you have accounted for, but it doesn't matter on paper,” O’Connell said.
In particular, the head coach mentioned the struggles of the interior of the offensive line, which gave up 2.0 sacks to LA defensive tackle Kobie Turner and 1.5 to defensive tackle Neville Gallimore.
“For me, it's the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we're going to have to take a long look at,” O’Connell said. “I thought those guys battled. That's a good, young, fast athletic front. Really when you look at it over the course of the entirety of the season we lost to two football teams and both of them were able to do some similar things against us via pressure.”
O’Connell talked about his own role in the Disaster in the Desert, in part not adjusting enough to Darnold’s struggles. He cited trying to close the entire deficit on one play with some deep shots that didn’t work and suggested when he was asked about DE Jared Verse’s scoop-and-score play that there were opportunities to give Darnold a better option against pressure.
“There is a level of understanding the situation (where) we can't allow such a game changing play to happen,” he said. “I've got to acknowledge it with the play call making sure that we consistently just have multiple eligibles for [Darnold], while also having a pressure plan and making sure we're taking care of the matchups that maybe we aren't having the best of days against.”
The next layer of explanations pertained to Darnold’s desire to be a playmaker. Throughout the season, the 27-year-old quarterback made numerous eyepopping plays outside of structure. Whether it was a 52-yard touchdown to Justin Jefferson against the Falcons or a game-winner against the Seahawks, Darnold’s improvisation skills were a big asset to the offense. However, when he tried to go off script and make plays against the Rams, their defensive line caught him in the backfield time and time again.
“You've got to find a way to check the ball down and just keep moving the ball forward, completions have negative effects on defenses, they just do,” O’Connell said. “Those moments where you're holding that ball and your reaction is to try to make a play—we can't talk out of both sides of our mouth because he sure as heck made a lot of plays doing that this year, but I think that's part of the growth.”
When Darnold reached the podium, he didn’t look for any explanations or excuses. He said that most of the sacks were due to his own issues getting the ball out of his hands.
“I left a couple throws out there that I could be better on, especially early in the game,” Darnold said. “The third quarter, that one to speedy (Vikings WR Jalen Nailor) in the middle of the field, I have to hit that. Just missed opportunities. I have to take care of the football, can't have the interception, can't have the fumble returned for a touchdown that's a huge play in the game. Yeah, just too many mistakes on my end.”
In the midst of trying to break down the brutal playoff loss for a 14-win team, O’Connell stopped several times to point back to the player that Darnold had been to get the Vikings to the point of producing the second best record in the NFC.
“I think it's very important we all think about Sam's body of work,” O’Connell said. “What he was able to do this year when not very many people thought he would even be able to lead a team to 14 wins. Very rare for a quarterback in the first year. In fact, it is rare. Most wins by a first year quarterback with a team. Just the way he came in and committed himself to just a daily process to be the best version of himself. It did not work out in the end.”
Always the quarterback developer, O’Connell went a step further in his praise for Darnold, pointing to where he can take his game and build from his most difficult moment of the season.
“Remember this guy's 27 years old… I think he has a foundation now of both the things you do at the quarterback position to have success and the things that sometimes you have to learn the hard way,” O’Connell said. “You talk to some of the greatest players that ever played the game at that position, and they all had learning moments throughout their journey. I think Sam will take a lot of positive out of this year.”
Where he will take those positives now becomes the No. 1 question for the Vikings organization.
Prior to the last two weeks, it appeared that the Darnold was in line to be the team’s quarterback for at least the 2025 season despite drafting JJ McCarthy last season. How could they move on from someone who led them to 14 wins and a top-10 QB season? But back-to-back blowups in the two biggest games of the season very well could shape the team’s plans for next year.
On one hand, McCarthy was not able to develop physically this season due to knee surgery and the Vikings might want more security by keeping Darnold. On the other, the price tag for a 14-win QB — even if the franchise tag is used — is astronomical. The Vikings have to weigh how many offseason moves they will need to make in order to elevate the roster to the point where they can win games like Monday’s matchup with the Rams.
“We have to take a look at what we did throughout the season to make us a good football team, what were our weaknesses as a team throughout the year and not just over these last two weeks, acknowledge all those things and craft a path moving forward where we where we do everything we can to eliminate some of those things that hurt our football team,” O’Connell said.
Crafting the path will mean finding answers on the O-line and either keeping or replacing free agents in the secondary. The plan heading into this season seemed clear — give Darnold a one-year stage to get another job elsewhere — but they might feel like they were close enough in 2024 to run it all back next season.
O’Connell was asked directly how close he feels the team is to winning a championship.
“What I would tell you is when you have the makeup of players that are smart, tough, love football and love being great teammates, you have the feeling that exists in that locker room right now, that's the foundation,” O’Connell said. “We've got to find a way to match that foundation with our performance across the board.”
Whether the way is working around a new Darnold contract or making the switch, we will find out as the season progresses.
What we can say for the 2024 Vikings is that it will be a season that was defined by how it ended, no matter how many memorable moments went on between September and December. The coming months will be spent thinking about how the Rams picked them apart and how they can avoid having it happen again in 2025.
“I know it stings for our fans,” O’Connell said. “It hurts, and we've got to use this as fuel moving forward, but at the same time understand the special group we had and acknowledge it. Acknowledge it, and make sure we're aware of how we move forward trying to build upon this team in the next year.”
First and foremost, shoutout to you Coller for awesome coverage all year. There’s no one who does this better!
For me, it’s an easy decision, pending ONE critical piece and that’s JJ’s health. If he’s ready to go, I’m turning it over to him. It’s time for us to get the ball rolling on the rookie qb contract. This also allows for us to build up an interior oline, add pieces in the secondary, and potentially add a piece or two on the dline. This is what gives me optimism going forward. We haven’t been in a spot like this in a long time, where it feels like they can continue to build a strong roster and sustain success. They aren’t winning 14 games again, but I do think they can be quite competitive in year 1 with JJ. SKOL!
I'll say my appreciation of Darnold grew as the season went on. I didn't think he would be bad like many, but I also didn't think he'd perform as well as he did (through the first 16 games). His ups far outnumbered his downs for most of the season. So again, I appreciate what he did. But I also recognize he failed terribly when it mattered the most. He had a good grade going throughout the semester then absolutely bombed the finals. Yes, KOC can do more with his playcalling and the O-line can be better, but ultimately both these games were undone by the QB. I don't know how they can buy into another year of Sam after these last two games. I don't.