Sam Darnold’s disastrous playoff debut following the Lions’ loss leaves the Vikings with a major offseason decision.

Just two weeks ago, Sam Darnold was in the midst of a dream season and lined up for a career payday.

Two disastrous performances later in the biggest games of his career, and his footballing future is suddenly murky.

Darnold was outplayed and outplayed Monday night in the first playoff game of his career. The result was a 27-9 victory for the Los Angeles Rams over their Vikings that eliminated Minnesota from the playoffs. The loss ends a 14-win Vikings season with a thud and no playoff victory.

The Rams entered Monday’s game with a clear game plan: pressure Darnold early and often, and see how he responds. It worked from the Vikings’ first practice. Darnold was indecisive throughout the evening and often inaccurate when he managed to get rid of the ball.

Rams pass rush sets tone early

The Rams sacked Darnold on Minnesota’s second play from scrimmage, setting up a third-and-21 and ultimately forcing a three-and-out. Another sack by Darnold delayed Minnesota’s second drive and limited the Vikings to a field goal.

Minnesota’s third possession ended with an interception. Cobie Durant anticipated Darnold’s pass to Jordan Addison in the flat and jumped the route near midfield.

Minnesota’s next possession fared even worse. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon took off from the left edge and hit Darnold for a strip-sack. Darnold never saw it coming. Rookie linebacker Jared Verse scooped up the ball and ran untouched down the sideline for a 57-yard touchdown to extend the Rams’ lead to 17-3.

At halftime, the Vikings sacked Darnold two more times for a total of six. According to ESPN, this is the most first-half sacks by a team in a playoff game since Washington against the Vikings in the 1988 NFC Championship Game.

The Rams’ sixth sack by Kobie Turner resulted in a turnover on downs in Rams territory. The Rams responded with a 39-yard touchdown run to extend their lead to 24-3 before halftime.

Another poor high-stakes performance

Darnold was moderately better in the second half and led the Vikings to a third-quarter touchdown. But it was too little, too late. The hole in the first half proved far too big to dig. A fourth-quarter sack dashed hopes of a miracle comeback and the Rams took an uncontested victory.

Darnold finished the night completing 25 of 39 passes with one touchdown and one interception. He took nine sacks for a loss of 82 yards and a lost fumble. It was a second straight dreadful performance from Darnold when the lights of the season were at their brightest.

The Vikings had a chance to skip the wild-card round in a season finale against the Lions last week for the NFC North and No. 1 seed in the playoffs. They lost 31-9 on a night where Darnold struggled to put the ball on goal. He finished that game completing 18 of 41 passes (41.9%) for 166 yards with no touchdowns.

What are the Vikings doing now?

On the heels of high-stakes misses, the Vikings now enter the offseason with a big decision regarding the most important position in football. Are they trying to re-sign Darnold? Do they let Darnold leave as a free agent and hand the reins to JJ McCarthy?

Darnold was never supposed to be in this position in the first place. The Vikings drafted McCarthy in the first round out of Michigan as the quarterback of the future. They signed Darnold as a veteran bridge and scheduled a replacement whenever McCarthy was ready to take over the starting role.

A meniscus injury ended McCarthy’s rookie season before it started, and Darnold was thrust back into the spotlight. He had failed in previous starting opportunities with the Panthers and Jets after New York selected him with the No. 3 pick in 2018.

But this time, on his third shot as a starter in his seventh NFL season, he shined. He led the Vikings to the third-best record in football at 14-3. He made his first career Pro Bowl by completing 66.2% of his passes for 254.1 yards per game with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

It was a story of career redemption in a sport that loves redemption stories. But the chapter for the 2024 season ends with a giant asterisk that will be too big for the Vikings to ignore. This asterisk will definitely cost Darnold money. This could ultimately cost him another season as Minnesota’s starter.