Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images.
Of course, it was going to go this way. It always goes this way. There’s a reason why Minnesota sports fans are seen as such a tortured group. The Minnesota Vikings had plenty of things working to their credit in a wildcard matchup against Los Angeles but instead got destroyed.
The Most Predictable Vikings Ending
After a 14-win season, there was hope that the Minnesota Vikings could make noise in the playoffs. To do so, they needed the best version of Sam Darnold. That version ceased to exist in the last two games, and they might have seen one of the worst versions on Monday night.
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images. Los Angeles downed Minnesota by a score of 27-9, advancing to the Divisional Round.
Despite thoughts of a lucrative payday in his not-so-distant future, Sam Darnold did everything he could to cost himself money. He hung onto the football. He missed open wide receivers. He made poor reads. Nothing he did for the Minnesota Vikings worked.
Of course, it wasn’t all on Darnold. Kevin O’Connell, for the second straight week, was out-coached. Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions got the best of Minnesota’s head coach in Week 18, and for the second time this season, Sean McVay beat his understudy.
