DETROIT – Whoever told Sam Darnold to aim high should have chosen their words more carefully.
Souhan: Summarized simply, how can we trust Sam Darnold again?
We’ve seen this. Add Sam’s Swoon to the list that starts with Drew Pearson’s push-off, runs through Gary Anderson’s miss, stumbles at 41-donut and stretches to a flop at Philadelphia.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 6, 2025 at 8:11AM
In one of the most dramatic disintegrations in the wretched big-game history of a seemingly cursed sports market, Darnold, on Sunday night, choked.
In the biggest game of his career, and perhaps the biggest game of the NFL season, the Vikings quarterback took a blowtorch to his own fairy tale manuscript.
If you were new to the Vikings experience, the 2024 team offered a Sunday night primer while losing 31-9 to the Lions at Ford Field.
A quarterback collapsing in the clutch. A kicker pulling the ball left (and, later, pushing a kick to the right). A supreme receiver fuming on the sidelines. A big-game loss awakening the ghosts of failures past.
With receivers running open, often in the end zone, Darnold looked like he was throwing balloons instead of darts.
A week after his teammates lifted and doused him with water in the locker room after beating the Packers, Darnold provided a reminder of why he was available to begin with, why he’s with his fourth team at the age of 27.
In the first half, Darnold missed star receiver Justin Jefferson in the end zone a few times. Even his first downfield completion to a receiver, which went to Jefferson to set up an unconsummated first-and-goal, was thrown high, forcing Jefferson to leap for the ball, perhaps costing him a chance to score.
It’s hard to define “choking” in big-time sports, but you know it when you see it. Darnold, so accurate this season and especially over the previous seven games, was throwing to 8-foot-tall receivers who didn’t exist.
Darnold didn’t make excuses. Offered a few, he smiled, shook his head and said, “I’ve just got to hit the throws. It’s as simple as that.”
Whatever was wrong with Darnold’s aim must have been contagious. After the Vikings cut the lead to 7-6 with 20 seconds remaining in the first half, rookie kicker Will Reichard smother-hooked the kickoff out of bounds down the left sideline. The Lions completed two passes and kicked a field goal to make it 10-6, leaving Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell hanging his head in disgust.
The Vikings were facing a Lions defense decimated by injuries, one that had allowed a depleted 49ers offense to score 34 points Monday night, one that had allowed 48 to Buffalo in mid-December.
The Vikings defense played admirably, restricting what might be the NFL’s best offense.
The Vikings offense can now be cited as a direct cause of jet lag.
The Vikings entered Sunday with a 14-2 record. The two losses came in a five-day stretch in October, against Detroit in the Midwest and the Rams in Los Angeles.
Now the Vikings head west again, with much more at stake, and a quarterback who looked on Sunday as if he had passed his expiration date.
A week ago, national analysts and local fans were wondering why the Vikings hadn’t signed Darnold to a lucrative long-term contract.
Now Darnold may have to play well in the first half in Los Angeles to avoid being benched.
Drew Pearson’s alleged push-off. Darrin Nelson’s drop. Gary Anderson’s miss. 41-0. Brett Favre’s interception. The collapse at Philadelphia.
Put Sam’s Swoon in the pitiable purple pantheon.
“I’ve got to watch the tape and learn from it and get better,” Darnold said.
O’Connell cited the Vikings’ inability to win on “weighty downs” — third downs and plays in the red zone. Asked about Darnold’s high throws, O’Connell said, “We’ve got to take a look at it — fundamentals, techniques," he said. “And take a look at the plays that things happened on.”
This collapse didn’t end the Vikings' season, but it may soon be diagnosed as having been the beginning of the end of what had promised to be something special.
Don’t blame the coaches. O’Connell’s schemes produced open receivers.
Don’t blame the defense, which set up the offense to succeed for three quarters.
Don’t blame the offensive line, which gave Darnold enough time to be indecisive.
This loss was the product of Darnold’s nerves at a point in the season when nerves should not be a problem.
This disaster could have long-term implications for the franchise.
Any plans of signing Darnold to be the Vikings’ long-term starter, and using rookie J.J. McCarthy as a backup or trade bait, have to be burned in the hottest fire available at TCO Performance Center.
After Sunday night, how can you trust Darnold again?
Longtime Vikings safety Harrison Smith doesn’t want to forget about Sunday’s 31-9 loss to the Lions that set up a more difficult playoff path. “You learn from losses,” he said. “We learn from this.”
