Ahead of Week 18, Sam Darnold was perceived as the Minnesota Vikings’ short-term savior. He was coming off an impressive regular season that positioned him for a lucrative payday.
After a Wild Card Weekend disaster, the narrative has completely flipped. Darnold and the Vikings have been eliminated from the playoffs, leaving fans and analysts stunned and frustrated.
Bill Simmons Can’t Believe Sam Darnold’s Collapse
The Vikings’ season came crashing down with a 27-9 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, a game in which Darnold struggled mightily. Completing just 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, he was sacked nine times, tying an NFL playoff record.
Adding insult to injury, one of those sacks led to a game-changing 57-yard fumble return touchdown by Rams rookie Jared Verse. Minnesota, which had averaged 26.3 points per game in the regular season, was utterly stifled by a Los Angeles team that now has a date with the Philadelphia Eagles.
NFL analyst Bill Simmons called Darnold’s performance a massive letdown.
“I can’t believe we fell for Sam Darnold. It’s one of the most stunning 8-9 day collapses I can remember of a football team. These guys won me over. I really, genuinely believed in them, and they fell apart.” Simmons said on his podcast.
“The part that doesn’t make sense to me, I was a little worried about their [Vikings] protection. The Rams don’t have a good defense. It’s not like this was the 2000 [Baltimore] Ravens, and they looked like the 2000 Ravens. So it was just a complete collapse. He reverted back into old school, seeing-ghosts Sam Darnold… Now you mention the money thing. I don’t know what you do if you’re the Vikings.”
Simmons’ frustration echoes that of a fan base now questioning whether Darnold should remain the team’s quarterback. Despite the playoff disaster, Darnold’s regular season had flashes of brilliance. On a one-year, $10 million deal, he threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl nod and leading the Vikings to 14 wins.
His performances early in the season had analysts projecting contracts worth over $100 million. However, consecutive poor outings—beginning with a Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions—have cast doubt on his future as a franchise quarterback.
After finishing the regular season as the league’s 12th-best quarterback by PFN’s QB+ metric (79.0, B), Darnold’s playoff and regular season combined rating dropped to 76.4 (C) due to his decline in critical games.
Darnold’s late-season struggles were alarming. In his last two games, he threw 23 off-target passes and took 11 sacks. He posted a negative expected points added per dropback (EPA/DB) of -0.85 under pressure against the Rams. His performance was subpar even from a clean pocket, with a -0.02 EPA/DB. Combined with a 4.1 net yards per attempt (nYPA), the goodwill he earned with the fans has faded.
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell admitted that the Darnold experiment ultimately fell short but defended the quarterback’s overall contributions.
“Could he have played better tonight? Absolutely. But we can’t let the last two weeks define the good he brought to this team,” O’Connell said.
Minnesota faces a tough decision as Darnold prepares for free agency. His career trajectory is uncertain. While he revived his reputation with a strong regular season, the playoff collapse will certainly impact his market value, and it is unclear whether he could replicate his 2024 success elsewhere.
The Vikings must decide whether to bring back Darnold in some capacity or hand the keys to 2024 rookie J.J. McCarthy, who missed the entire season with a knee injury.