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Sam Darnold’s lone season with the Minnesota Vikings ended with a 14-2 record, but the promising run quickly unraveled with a crushing playoff exit. However, things took a turn for the worse pretty quickly. After a tough 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18, the Vikings followed it with a disappointing 27-9 Wild Card playoff exit against the Los Angeles Rams. What started as a standout season for Darnold turned into a tough lesson about the pressures of postseason play, ultimately leading to his departure from the Vikings and his signing with the Seattle Seahawks
As the newly appointed starter for Minnesota, Darnold faced challenges in both playoff games. Against the Rams, he was sacked a staggering nine times, and the Vikings could only muster nine points. Looking back on the disappointing end to the season, Darnold reflected.
“We laid an egg as an offense… I didn’t play up to my standard. I feel like if I would have just played better, I would’ve been able to give the team a chance,” he shared in an interview with Mike Silver from The Athletic.
The Vikings’ struggle to adapt to defensive strategies proved to be a significant setback. Darnold pointed out that both Detroit and L.A. “played man and tried to play some ‘robber’ stuff,” which threw off the Vikings’ ability to convert on third downs and disrupted their offensive flow. “It gave me some troubles, personally,” Darnold admitted about the coverage tactics they faced in those crucial games.
Now, as he prepares to join the Seattle Seahawks, Darnold is determined to grow from this experience.
“I learned a lot last season, especially from those two games,” he said. “You go through those experiences, you learn, and you get better.”
For Darnold, it’s not just about bouncing back; it’s about showing that the version of himself who led the Vikings to 14 wins is the one who will shape his future.
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