Vikings - Rams

There was a Wild Card playoff game played last night. Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams. It was originally scheduled to be played at Sofi Stadium. The terrible fires in Southern California forced the game to be moved to the home stadium of the Arizona Cardinals. Only one of the teams appeared to have adjusted to the changes and showed up for the game. With a score of 27-9, the Rams are moving on to the Divisional Round. The Vikings are heading home and left to wonder how it all went so wrong. 

That was a brutal way to end a fun season. The Vikings won 14 games and lost four games. In a peculiar twist, they lost to only two teams. They lost to the Detroit Lions and Rams over four days in October. They lost to the Lions and Rams over eight days in January. Other than that, the Vikings were a perfect 14-0. The games in October were competitive. The Lions needed a late field goal to win. The Rams needed a late, famously missed facemask penalty to secure the win. The games in January were not competitive. Over the last eight days, the Vikings lost to the Lions and Rams by a combined score of 58-18. 12 of those 18 points were from field goals. After a regular season of scattered explosive plays and robust scoring, the Vikings offense ended the season exposed, vulnerable, and inept. 

The Vikings won 14 games as a team. A fun team. It isn’t right to point fingers over the failures of the last eight days. Still, it’s inevitable. Sam Darnold was solid and often brilliant in leading the Vikings through a fun 14-3 regular season. He was signed last offseason to be a placeholder this season. First-round pick J.J McCarthy was supposed to take over next season. Darnold’s strong, months-long play was forcing a re-think of that plan. I expect that his play over the past two games has put an end to that re-think. The scattered, scared play that plagued his early years with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers reappeared. Over eight days, he looked nothing like the quarterback of the previous four months. But it wasn’t all Darnold. The offensive line hasn’t been a strength all season. Things got even worse after left tackle Christian Darrisaw was lost for the season against the Rams in October. Over the last two games, the offensive line has been a sieve. Calling the interior of the offensive line a sieve would be generous. Darnold has been under siege. The Rams sacked him a playoff-record nine times. The Vikings won 14 games as a team. While it’s easy to point fingers, they lost these past two games as a team. 

Still, moving forward, priority #1 for the Vikings is an overhaul of the interior of the offensive line. I also think that Darnold’s play behind the woeful line makes the decision to move to McCarthy a little easier. 

Troy Aikman said during the broadcast that a playoff loss wrecks a season. He’s wrong. A playoff loss, especially a brutal playoff loss, stings. It’ll sting for a while. Unfortunately, I know the feeling well. About a half century of it. I’ve enjoyed my lifetime of Vikings football. I enjoyed this season. The 2024 Minnesota Vikings were a very fun team. This disappointing loss takes nothing away from that. Now, I look forward to the 2025 Minnesota Vikings.