The Minnesota Vikings’ 2024 campaign ended with a whimper, as they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams during Wild Card Weekend, 27-9. Minnesota’s 14-3 regular season record ultimately proved misleading, as the play once considered the propeller of the Vikings’ success ended up being the reason the team collapsed when it mattered. more.
Quarterback Sam Darnold had a career year with 4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, but completely failed down the stretch. In Monday night’s crucial Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and playoff loss, Darnold completed 53 percent of his passes and averaged 5, 1 yards per attempt after completing 68% of his passes with 8.2. yards per attempt in his first 16 games of the season.
The former No. 3 overall pick is now a free agent, and his performance over the past two weeks has cost him millions of dollars and even his spot in the Vikings’ plans. If Darnold were allowed to enter free agency, he would have to be replaced by the 10th pick in last year’s draft: former Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy.
After the Vikings’ loss Monday night, McCarthy posted an interesting message on social media: “Amor fati.”
“Amor fati” is a Latin expression which means “love of destiny” or “love of one’s destiny”. This is the mindset you need to accept both the good and bad times in your life as part of the journey, because they are opportunities to learn.
It’s certainly been a strange rookie season for McCarthy. After his preseason debut in which he threw two touchdowns, it was revealed that McCarthy had suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and would miss the entire year. This opened the door for Darnold to take over as the undisputed QB1, and he thrived through January.
Just a few weeks ago, it seemed like Darnold had secured his position as the Vikings’ quarterback of the future. Now, it’s unclear which direction Minnesota will go.
