Sam Darnold had a remarkable season for the Minnesota Vikings, stepping in as the starting quarterback after J.J. McCarthy, the team’s first-round pick, was lost for the season due to injury. Darnold led the team to a 14-win record while playing at a Pro Bowl level, something he had never done before in his NFL career.
However, his fairytale season came to a rough end on Monday night. Darnold committed two turnovers and was sacked nine times in a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round of the playoffs. After the game, Darnold was quick to admit that he could have played better.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell urged the media and others to look at Darnold’s performance over the entire season, but also acknowledged the disappointing ending. He said, “It didn’t work out in the end,” speaking about Darnold’s playoff struggles.
“I just want to say it’s very important we all think about Sam’s body of work, what he was able to do this year, when not many people thought he would be able to lead a team to 14 wins,” O’Connell said.
“Very rare for a quarterback in his first year… In fact it is rare, most wins for a first-year quarterback with a team. And just the way he came in, committed himself to a daily process to be the best version of himself.”
O’Connell also added that Darnold himself would be the first to admit that he could have played better. “It did not work out in the end, and I think Sam would be the first one to tell you, could he have played better tonight?
I’m sure he would tell you he could have. Could I have coached better? I promise you I could have.”
Darnold, 27, signed a one-year deal with the Vikings in March 2024, after spending his first six NFL seasons with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers. Under O’Connell’s leadership and in his quarterback-friendly system, Darnold showed the form that had made him the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
He finished the season with career highs, completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Looking back on the season, O’Connell reflected on what Darnold accomplished and stressed that he should not forget what made him successful as he prepares for free agency.
“The other phase of it for Sam is acknowledging the things that made him a winning quarterback this year,” O’Connell said. “The consistency and the times he had it throughout the year and what that meant for our team.”
O’Connell expressed his pride in Darnold’s efforts and noted that Darnold’s journey with the Vikings would always have a special place in his heart. “Proud of him. Proud of everybody in that locker room but Sam and the journey him and I went on this year will always be something that has a special place in my heart, for sure.”
