GLENDALE, Ariz. — The pressure got to veteran quarterback Sam Darnold. Both literally and figuratively. There’s no way around it.

In the biggest game of his career on Monday night at State Farm Stadium, Darnold imploded in front of a national audience, and as a result, the Vikings bowed out of the playoffs with a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The implosion was eerily similar to last weekend when the Vikings played the Detroit Lions with everything on the line. In position to win the NFC North and clinch the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, Darnold seemed to get rattled by the blitz, and perhaps by the magnitude of the moment.

With a chance to bounce back this weekend, Darnold once again looked overwhelmed. He got sacked a whopping nine times and he appeared to get happy feet in the pocket as the game progressed.

Never mind that he completed 25 of 39 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown. That stat line doesn’t take into account a mistake that proved to be the biggest play of the game.

After throwing an interception near midfield, Darnold followed it up by getting strip-sacked on the next possession. To make matters worse, rookie edge rusher Jared Verse scooped up the loose ball and raced the other way for a touchdown.

That turned the game on its head and the Vikings never fully recovered as Darnold continued to look uncomfortable every time he dropped back to pass. It was a total departure from the confident play the Vikings got out of of him for prolonged stretches this season.

The aftershock of Darnold’s meltdown will be felt over the next couple of months.

Will the Vikings even be willing to franchise tag Darnold after he twice crumbled under the weight of expectation? Will the Vikings make the hard decision to let him walk and hand the keys over to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Those are conversations for another time.

In the meantime, the Vikings will be forced to come to grips with the fact that a magical 14-3 record this season ended with a whimper.

This is the second time coach Kevin O’Connell has guided a team to double-digit wins only to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs. The good news for the Vikings is the foundation is in place, despite what the loss to the Rams would suggest.

It was a disastrous start for the Vikings as they allowed quarterback Matthew Stafford to cook on the opening drive. He completed 6 of 6 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown to running back Kyren Williams as the Rams went up 7-0.

The lead grew to 10-0 in favor of the Rams before the Vikings punched back with a 34-yard field goal from kicker Will Reichard to cut the deficit to 10-3.

On the very next play, the Vikings strip-sacked Stafford, and linebacker Blake Cashman scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown. It was exactly what the Vikings needed until the officials instead ruled it as an incomplete pass.

Though the Vikings were still very much in the game at that point, the Rams took complete control when Verse returned the fumble for a touchdown to stretch their lead to 17-3. After the Vikings turned the ball on downs on their next possession, the Rams poured it on with another touchdown before halftime that made it 24-3.

With the game well in hand, the Rams tacked on another field goal after halftime to make it 27-3 before Darnold threw a touchdown to tight end T.J. Hockenson to cut the deficit to 27-9.

That was as close as the Vikings got to making it a game.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Vikings hung their heads as they walked off the field. A campaign that had so much promise as recently as last weekend had abruptly come to an end.

Originally Published: January 13, 2025 at 10:19 PM CST