Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell walks off the sector after their 27-9 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale. © Joseph Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK through Imagn Photos.
The 2024 Vikings season that regarded so promising two weeks in the past got here to an ill-fated finish on Monday night time in a second straight prime-time dud.
After the poor efficiency in Detroit, which value them a division title and despatched the Vikings to a neutral-site sport in Arizona, the favored Vikings have been dominated 27-9 within the wildcard spherical loss. The Rams have been the higher staff on either side of the ball, far outclassed the Vikings at quarterback, and delivered a crushing finish to Sam Darnold’s profession renaissance season with two compelled turnovers on the Vikings’ quarterback (together with the strip sack/fumble return for a TD) and a playoff-record-tying 9 sacks.
Vikings Playoff Loss: Unhappy Ending to Nice Season
It’s a tragic ending to an thrilling season and sends the Vikings into an offseason with questions in lots of areas, beginning at crucial place of quarterback. Darnold’s sub-par play the final two weeks has value him a possible franchise tag at $40 million and opens the door for J.J. McCarthy to step into the beginning function a yr before what was anticipated earlier than Darnold’s Cinderella season went kaput.
Darnold’s inaccuracy and holding the ball too lengthy is the obvious takeaway from the final two video games after an everyday season by which he had 13 video games with 100-plus passer rankings and was chosen to the Professional Bowl. His poor play in opposition to the Lions and Rams the final two weeks was shocking and disappointing given his sturdy total play as he led the Vikings to a 14-2 report pre-Detroit and the very fact he performed fairly properly within the Week 7 and eight conferences with the Lions and Rams (each have been over 100 passer rankings).
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Photos.
However Darnold shouldn’t be alone within the blame sport. Sure, he too typically held the ball too lengthy, together with on the strip-sack TD however the offensive line (minus each of their elite offensive tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill (concussion) by the fourth quarter) was mashed, the protection was shredded within the first half by Matthew Stafford persistently beating the blitz and when the particular groups had a golden alternative to dam a punt within the second quarter with the Vikings down 10-3, Kamu Grugier-Hill inexplicably couldn’t end a play that might’ve modified the trajectory of the sport (or a minimum of made it nearer).
Kevin O’Connell made one other questionable resolution to go for the primary down on 4th-and-2 from midfield with 1:32 left within the first half and the Vikings getting the ball to start out the third quarter. The analytics possible mentioned go for it, and I didn’t thoughts his resolution on the time to go for it for the reason that Vikings had picked up one first down on the drive, however with Darnold’s struggles and the various sacks he’d taken, the wiser selection in all probability was to punt. Because it turned out, Darnold took a sixth first-half sack of 11 yards and gave the Rams a brief subject to attain the TD that put them up 24-3.
So, it’s on to the offseason, throughout which the Vikings will spend an estimated $70-80 million to shore up the offensive line, re-sign key defenders reminiscent of Professional Bowl nook Byron Murphy, and determine who would be the veteran backup or bridge quarterback to McCarthy. Can they create Darnold again after his season-ending flop for a similar $10 million? Will Daniel Jones tackle that function at a discount fee?
These are choices that GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Coach Kevin O’Connell have been hoping to make after a playoff run, not after an inglorious first-round exit, even when playoffs have been typically not forecast for this 2024 Vikings staff getting into the season.
The fact is that this staff’s future remains to be depending on McCarthy rapidly ascending to the extent of an elite NFL quarterback, much like the highest quarterbacks enjoying subsequent weekend within the divisional spherical, together with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff, C.J. Stroud, Jayden Daniels (a member of McCarthy’s rookie class), and, sadly for the Vikings after their loss, Matthew Stafford.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports activities.
Listed below are my different reactions to the Vikings playoff loss to the Rams:
1. Keys to the loss—together with Darnold’s poor play, dropping the turnover battle 2-0 with the strip sack/fumble return for a TD by Jared Verse within the second quarter was the most important play within the sport. And the Vikings’ offense allowed 9 sacks, 12 QB hits, and 10 tackles for loss, whereas the protection was getting solely two sacks, 5 QB hits, and 4 TFLs.
2. Darnold’s accuracy was so off at instances that he couldn’t even full swing or display screen passes to Aaron Jones, lacking him badly a few instances, together with throwing means behind the wide-open Jalen Nailor on a 3rd down incompletion on the opening drive of the third quarter. Even on Darnold’s few huge completions, receivers needed to attain again to make tough catches on poorly thrown balls, reminiscent of on the Vikings’ solely landing drive with passes to Nailor (on third down) and T.J. Hockenson (on his TD catch).
3. Justin Jefferson had solely two targets and no catches within the second half aside from a poorly designed two-point play after Hockenson’s TD, the place Jefferson caught the ball on the two-yard line and was instantly tackled. Jefferson was focused solely eight instances total, with 5 catches for 58 yards within the first half.
Jordan Addison had solely three receptions for 29 yards, and he needed to make robust contested catches. Jalen Nailor caught three passes for 33 yards, and Darnold missed him open when he compelled it to Addison on the second-quarter interception.
Brad Rempel-Imagn Photos.
4. The Vikings ran it okay (106 yards on 22 carries, 4.8 common), however the run sport was not going to win this sport after falling to this point behind. Cam Akers had a pleasant 26-yard run two performs earlier than the sack/fumble return for a TD within the second quarter.
5. Tight ends damage the Vikings: Particularly on the primary drive, the Rams tight ends have been very productive, with Tyler Higbee having two catches for 27 yards on that TD drive and Davis Allen catching a large open 13 yard TD move within the final minute of the primary half to place the Rams forward 24-3. The Rams’ tight ends caught 9 passes for 97 yards, together with that Allen TD.
It was an enormous sport for tight ends on each groups, with T.J. Hockenson main the Vikings receivers with 5 catches for 64 yards.
6. Jonathan Bullard’s offsides on 4th-and-2 on the opening drive was inexcusable for a nine-year veteran. The Rams scored on the subsequent play with Stafford’s TD move to a wide-open Kyren Williams because the protection broke down.
7. The Vikings D blitzed Stafford 56% of the snaps however solely produced two sacks, and he made a whole lot of nice throws in opposition to the blitz, so maybe Brian Flores was too aggressive in opposition to a savvy vet QB. However it’s comprehensible with the heavy blitzing within the second half when down three touchdowns.
8. Run protection and third-down protection have been about the one positives for the Vikings: The Rams had solely 90 speeding yards and have been 2 of 10 on third down. Sadly for the Vikings, the injury was carried out within the passing sport within the first half, with Stafford finishing 14 of 20 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns, with no sacks allowed.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Photos.
9. The officers’ name on altering the early second-quarter strip sack by Jonathan Greenard that was returned for a TD by Blake Cashman to an incomplete move was dangerous. Stafford was making an attempt to throw it away, however he had his head down, so the play ought to have a minimum of been referred to as intentional grounding. It was a 10-3 sport on the time, so if the TD had stood, the sport would’ve been tied. And a grounding name would’ve helped the Vikings in subject place even because the Rams have been stopped on that drive.
The Rams tried to assist the Vikings penalty-wise with 10 for 95 yards (vs. solely two penalties for 20 yards by the Vikings). Included have been a roughing penalty that compelled the Rams to accept a subject objective on their second drive and a roughing the punter name that gave the Vikings a primary down on the drive that Darnold threw a decide within the second quarter.
10. The impartial web site sport was about 50-50 with Rams and Vikings followers, however the Vikings didn’t benefit from not having to play within the Rams house stadium. The Rams additionally had additional motivation to win for his or her Los Angeles group affected by the terrible wildfires, however the Vikings actually didn’t lack motivation in a win-or-go-home playoff sport.
Across the NFL Observations in Wild Card Weekend & a look forward to the Divisional Playoffs subsequent weekend:
1. Just like Vikings-Rams, all the different video games had double-digit margins for the victors besides Washington’s thrilling 23-20 win at Tampa Bay. The No. 6 seed Commanders are the one staff above a four-seed to make it to the divisional spherical. Additionally they have been the one street staff to win, though technically, the Rams have been on the street, as the sport was relocated to Glendale, Arizona.
Amber Searls-Imagn Photos
2. The very best sport of the divisional playoffs needs to be the battle of MVP candidate QBs Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson within the Sunday late sport at Buffalo.
Each groups dominated on either side of the ball of their wild card wins. The Ravens jumped to a 21-0 lead of their 28-14 win over the Steelers, with Jackson throwing for 175 yards and two TDs and gaining 81 yards on the bottom. The Payments noticed the Broncos an early TD after which outscored them 31-0 the remainder of the sport. Allen handed for 272 yards and a couple of TDs and ran for 46 yards, whereas Dalvin Cook dinner’s youthful brother James had 120 speeding yards and one TD.
I’m choosing the Ravens as the higher all-around staff in a detailed sport.
Mahomes and the Chiefs ought to roll at house over the Texans, who stunned me with their huge win over the Chargers, which was fueled by their protection and the 4 interceptions of Justin Herbert (who now could be 0-2 within the playoffs with two dangerous losses, together with the collapse at Jacksonville in 2022).
I believe will probably be enjoyable to look at the ultra-clutch Jayden Daniels go in opposition to the injury-weakened Lions’ protection (that the Vikings ought to have taken higher benefit, however Darnold performed too poorly in that Week 18 sport). Washington has a top-five protection to try to decelerate the prolific Lions offense. The strain is all on Detroit, and I’m choosing the Lions, however an upset right here wouldn’t shock me, and I believe the 8 ½ level unfold in favor of the Lions appears excessive, however they’re the league’s top-scoring staff, so they might cowl it.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Photos.
Identical upset-alert with the Rams headed to Philly because the strain is on the Eagles on this sport so the Rams’ younger and gifted protection can play unfastened. The matchup of Stafford, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Kyren Williams, and all of the Rams tight ends in opposition to the Eagles’ No. 1-ranked protection needs to be an attention-grabbing chess match between Rams coach Sean McVay (who runs the offense) and Eagles DC Vic Fangio. I’m choosing the Eagles in a detailed sport.
I’ll preview the Vikings offseason starting subsequent week. Suffice it to say there might be plenty of drama beginning with the possible extensions for the top coach and GM, the QB choices, free agent strikes, particularly on the O-line, with Aaron Jones and the protection with a number of key free brokers and the plentiful wage cap room. And can Brian Flores get a head teaching job, or is he right here to once more coach up the protection that led the league in takeaways however didn’t produce any within the playoff loss?
