Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is sacked by Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (4) during the first half in an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
ESPNNFLBy Sam Neumann on

Nobody had a worse Monday night than Sam Darnold.

Just 15 days ago, sports media pundits (and likely his teammates) were hailing him as the Comeback Player of the Year after his heroic performance in a 27-25 win over the Green Bay Packers.

The locker room was electric, and Darnold seemed to have rewritten his narrative.

But that version of Sam Darnold has disappeared, crumbling under the weight of the two most important games of his career.

With the NFC North title on the line in Week 18, Darnold faltered. In Monday night’s 27-9 Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams, he faltered again. What began as a comeback story ended as a nightmare, with the former No. 3 overall pick reverting to the player fans had hoped he left behind in New York, Carolina and San Francisco.

That “bust” label seemed a distant memory a few weeks ago. Under the guidance of Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, Darnold had flashes of the quarterback he was expected to be when drafted. But his old demons resurfaced. Holding onto the ball too long — one of his perennial flaws — was on full display.

The Rams sacked him nine times, setting a grim playoff record for sack yardage lost. Under the brightest lights, Darnold looked haunted, like the ghosts of his past had returned to claim his future.

The collapse was historic. Any goodwill built over 16 regular-season games evaporated in two weeks. To borrow Brad Pitt’s (Billy Beane’s) line from Moneyball: “If you lose the last game of the season, nobody gives a sh*t.”

That sentiment hits harder for Darnold, as Monday’s performance almost certainly cost him millions.

“Sam Darnold really lost a ton of money,” said Jim Rich of Fox 9 KMSP. “It was like ’08 for Sam Darnold, if you go back to the stock market crash.”

Regarding ESPN’s coverage, Ryan Clark got the ball rolling at halftime as he laid into Darnold’s performance at the break. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman had previously followed suit, establishing that Darnold and O’Connell looked shell-shocked, but wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt of halftime adjustments, even down 21 at the break.

“Every one of these plays feels like a referendum on what Sam Darnold — or where he’ll be next year,” said Clark. “Yes, it is. You’re sitting there trying to evaluate what he looks like in the biggest moments. And in the biggest two games of the season, he wasn’t protected, and he folded under the pressure.”

He only continued to fold under pressure — and Aikman, considered the best bad quarterback game announcer — didn’t mince words. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was fair to Darnold to a fault, but as the Rams’ lead grew insurmountable, both he and Buck turned their focus to the implications of Darnold’s collapse.

As we mentioned before, a lot has changed in the last two weeks.

“That conversation’s a different conversation today than it was two weeks ago,” Aikman said.

“Not to be simplistic about it, but with the way the Vikings have played and Sam Darnold has played over the last couple of weeks, he’s at least cost himself some money,” added Buck.

There’s no denying what Darnold accomplished in 16 regular season games prior to his downfall against the Detroit Lions and then the Rams on Monday night. But there’s also no denying the elephant in the room — the fact that he’s a free agent, J.J. McCarthy waits in the wings and the looming possibility of Daniel Jones as a bridge quarterback.

Suffice it to say, Darnold’s last two games will have a “big impact” on his future, according to Aikman.

“These last two weeks will have a big impact on his future,” Aikman says. “Not only what that may look like for the Minnesota Vikings, but a big impact on what that may look like for him going to another team. Is there going to be the big payout that looked inevitable a few weeks ago? [It] may not be quite as big as what Sam or others thought. These are the games that matter.”

And matter, they most certainly do.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann