It’s like getting the worm at the bottom of the Mezcal bottle!
What a disappointing in to this season the last two weeks has been. The offense, offensive line, and Sam Darnold in particular have been abysmal. Here are the grades for the offensive line vs the Lions when Darnold was pressured 33 times (Brandel and Robinson combined to allow 17 pressures, per PFF) …
1. Brandel — 42.0
2. Darnold — 45.8
5. Robinson — 53.4
I do not have the PFF subscription but someone usually posts the top and bottom 5. I feel that almost all the offensive linemen in this game will grade poorly. O’Neill was getting bullied by Jared Verse quite often albeit one time was hands to the face. I was a little disappointed in O’Neill last night. The rest were worse.
I do not believe the Vikings could have had Verse if they did not trade up because the Rams took him at 19. The Vikings could have taken him at 17 though. Still, why even do that when you consider the team signed Greenard and Van Ginkel and still had Pat Jones. They brought on Jihad Ward too. It was kind of a luxury pick to go get Turner who now will have a lot of pressure to perform. If they would have taken Verse how much would he have played?
Perhaps, and in review (some say hindsight), stay at 23 and take OC/OG Graham Barton, CB Terrion Arnold, CB Nate Wiggins, DT Johnny Newton, WR Ladd McConkey (luxury pick), DT Braden FIske, or CB Cooper DeJean at 23? Maybe trade down a spot or two first? IDK, the drafting has to get better. Period.
Back to the game. What more can be said besides it was a crap show. The offensive line went into the tank against these better teams and Darnold has cement feet most of the time. He bails out when he could just stand there and throw it somewhere while absorbing a hit (easy for me to say no?). You want to get a big contract then that is what it takes. The dude put up a pretty dang good season up until the last two weeks. It was reasonable to speculate about the team signing him long term. But the was exposed against these playoff teams and showed that when the money is on the line, he folds.
I was OK with giving him a Baker Mayfield level extension (35-37M per year for 2 to 3 years) but not after these last two games. If a QB does not show up in the most important games of the year then you should not invest big money in him. Well, if I was GM I would not do it. Not when I have a possible QBOTF on my roster that I just drafted. I do not see any tag and trade either. That is a pipe dream. It will cost 41M or so. What team is going to give you a pick AND take on that salary with the chance to give him a longer deal? I would not do that if I am a GM. I would simply wait and try to sign him as a free agent.
Sadly, the Vikings are probably looking at a possible compensatory pick when he goes elsewhere. I would focus on signing Daniel Jones to compete with JJ now.
The simple fact is that Sam Darnold is not dynamic enough to make plays with his feet and bail out the offense when things go south. He turtles up and barely can move at times. He was really good this year but if the team wants to go all the way, then they have to have a more mobile QB who also is able to throw.
Next up would be to do something about the interior line. Blake Brandel has not lived up to being a starter. I like him as a backup who could fill at guard or tackle. Not sure about Risner either. Bradbury’s pass blocking is reverting to form too.
So Kwesi has to sign some defensive linemen, cornerbacks, maybe a safety or two, a couple of guards, and a center. He should get a running back in this draft but the bonehead traded a lot of his picks last year. That is a risky strategy. He could get some back with a trade down or two but you do not want to trade down too far.
Another item for discussion is what is Brian Flores head coaching stock looking like after those two losses? Stock still up? He could be back for another go next year which would be great.
The season was really fun up until the last couple of weeks. If they would have competed and made the games close then I could have lived with that. But to get spanked two times in a row sort of flushes the whole season down the drain. Oh well, every team but one goes home sad no?
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Vikings’ thrilling season comes to lifeless end in blowout loss to Rams
It’s fairly stunning how quickly and painfully the jubilant vibes of a 14-win season and nine-game winning streak can come crashing down in just nine days.
Less than two weeks ago, the 14-2 Vikings were riding high as they headed to Detroit with a chance to secure the top seed in the NFC. Their quarterback was on fire and they hadn’t lost in more than two months. But after an ugly blowout loss against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, eight disastrous quarters of primetime football was all it took for their season to come to a shockingly abrupt ending.
Really, it was four quarters that did them in. The Vikings trailed 10-6 at halftime against the Lions in Week 18 and lost the second half 21-3. When that defeat relegated them to wild card status, they traveled to Arizona and played an even worse half with everything on the line. Sam Darnold was sacked six times and turned it over twice in a first half that the Vikings lost 24-3, which was a deficit too big to recover from in an eventual 27-9 loss at State Farm Stadium.
The story of this game was the play of Darnold, who was hoping to bounce back from a stinker of a performance in Detroit. Instead of responding with a strong outing in his first career postseason start, he flopped again. Darnold threw an interception and was not sharp from an accuracy standpoint, but the far bigger issue was how long he held onto the ball over and over again. He took a whopping nine sacks, six of which came in the Vikings’ nightmare of a first half.
Minnesota’s offensive line very much lost the battle against the Rams’ talented young front four, but many of the sacks were a result of Darnold simply not getting the ball out of his hands. There were far too many occasions where he tried to maneuver in the pocket and make something happen instead of letting it rip early in his progression or at least throwing it away — and it cost the Vikings. The most notable example came on a strip sack touchdown in the second quarter that blew the game open.
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 football future is suddenly murky.
Darnold finished the night completing 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He took nine sacks for a loss of 82 yards and one lost fumble. It was a second consecutive dreadful performance by Darnold when the lights of the season were brightest.
On the heels of the high-stakes duds, the Vikings now enter the offseason with a big decision around the most important position in football. Do they attempt to re-sign Darnold? Do they let Darnold walk as a free agent and hand the reins to J.J. McCarthy?
Darnold was never supposed to be in this position to begin with. The Vikings drafted McCarthy last year in the first round out of Michigan as their quarterback of the future. They signed Darnold as a veteran bridge and anticipated backup for whenever McCarthy was ready to take the starting role.
Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings’ season was lost on Monday night.
So too with it might have been a lucrative offseason for Darnold following 17 weeks’ worth of a feel-good story.
“I clearly haven’t played good enough the last couple of weeks,” Darnold, an impending free agent, said after the game. “Just like I said, (I) left too many throws out there that I would usually make. Gotta take better care of the football.”
“We’ve got to find a way to check the ball down and just keep moving the ball forward,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “Completions have a negative effect on defense, they just do. Those moments when you are holding that ball and your reaction is trying to make a play. We can’t talk out of both sides of our mouth because he sure as heck made a lot of plays doing that this year. I think that’s part of the growth.”
Through the first 17 weeks of Darnold’s revitalization, he threw 35 touchdowns. Over the past two, he threw one.
Similarly, Darnold tallied a 106.4 passer rating from Weeks 1-17, and in the last two compiled a 66.4 rating.
O’Connell, appearing every bit the QB whisperer as he coaxed the very best from the 2018 NFL Draft’s No. 3 pick, remained supportive of Darnold’s continued maturation.
“Remember this guy is 27 years old or whatever he is,” O’Connell said. “I think he has a foundation now of both the things you do at quarterback position to have success and things sometimes you have to learn the hard way. You talk to some of the greatest players to play the game at the position. They all had learning moments throughout their journey. I think Sam will take a lot of positive out of this year. I think he’ll look like we all will very much inward. What’s the next step? What’s the next phase for him to find that consistency. I’m going to do the same thing.”
Darnold was headed for a big payday in the offseason, whether the Vikings re-signed him, applied the franchise tag or he hit the open market. Now, Darnold’s stock has crashed emphatically in two games’ time.
“I’m not worried about that,” Darnold said of how the last two weeks will impact his future. “That’s in the past. Right now, I’m just thinking about, like I said, what I could have done better today and just spending time with the guys in the locker room. That’s really all, I’m focused on right now. At the end of the day in the NFL, you only get one season with one team with everyone together. Today wasn’t our day. It’s as simple as that. For me, I’m going to be focused on spending as much time I can with those guys in the locker room and then I’ll think about whatever the future holds after that.”
“I also want to say, I think it’s very important that we think about Sam’s body of work,” O’Connell said. “What he was able to do this year, when not many people thought he would be able to lead a team to 14 wins. Very rare for a quarterback in their first year. In fact, it is rare, most wins by a first-year quarterback with a team.”
What he’s done in the last two losses might well have sullied 14 wins’ worth of reclamation.
‘Doesn’t feel real’: Vikings’ Cinderella season ends in disappointment with loss to Rams
“All that matters when you have a good season is what do you do in the playoffs,” quarterback Sam Darnold, 27, told reporters on Monday evening following his first playoff start. “In the NFL, you only get one season with one team with everyone all together. And today wasn’t our day. It’s as simple as that.”
“I feel like there were a lot of sacks today that I was responsible for, where I was just holding on to the football and taking sacks,” said Darnold, who finished with 245 yards and one touchdown and one interception. “It’s up to me to be able to feel that (pressure) and either step up, move, run for a first down or just simply throw it away.”
“It doesn’t feel real,” said Jones, who finished with 13 carries for 48 yards. “I know you have to take it one week at a time, but I was definitely expecting to play next week.”
“We didn’t do enough to win. That’s what happens in this league,” Vikings safety Josh Metellus said with tears in his eye. “We had a special group. This team is one of the best teams I’ve ever been on. The sky was the limit for us. It was all about going 1-0. Today, we were 0-1. That just happened to be the last one.”
Jones added that he’s “sad for my brothers and sad for how it went down. We played our butts off this whole year and then today, everybody came out there and everybody left it on the field even though it wasn’t the outcome we wanted,” Jones said. “The team changes year after year. It’s a true brotherhood in this locker room, some guys may not be back and you feel it. This is the closet team I’ve been on. I love these guys.”
Darnold is set to enter free agency after playing out his one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings. He looked poised to remain a starter, whether with the Vikings or with another team, but his stumble to the finish line the past two weeks could impact his future. Darnold, however, said that’s a conversation for another day.
“I’m not worried about that. That’s in the past,” Darnold said on Monday. “Right now, I’m thinking about what I could have done better today and just spending time with the team in the locker room.”
Jefferson noted that the question marks surrounding the team’s future quarterback felt like deja-vu.
“It was the same type of situation last year. I didn’t know who my quarterback was going to be and I really didn’t care,” said Jefferson, who was held to five receptions for 58 yards on Monday. “I’m confident in myself to go out there and still perform the same way I’ve been performing. It’s not my job to say who is going to be the quarterback or who I want to be the quarterback.”
No matter what happens, O’Connell said two bad games shouldn’t discredit Darnold’s Pro Bowl-caliber season: “I’m proud of (Darnold), proud of really everybody in that locker room. But Sam (Darnold), the journey him and I went on this year will always have a special place in my heart.”
Two blowout losses to end one of the most surprising success stories in Vikings history.
And this rare predicament: A 14-win team that failed so utterly under pressure that it has no choice but to dump the quarterback who won those 14 games.
What this Vikings regime proved this season is that it knows how to build a winner, even under adverse circumstances.
What this Vikings regime proved this postseason is that even a well-run organization can only fake it at the quarterback position for so long.
Sam Darnold couldn’t stand the pressure in Detroit, and he disintegrated in the dry heat of Arizona
If Darnold wasn’t going to be able to win big games, it’s better for the Vikings to find out now, before investing big money in him and relegating J.J. McCarthy to a backup role.
Troy Aikman’s take is good news for Vikings fans who want J.J. McCarthy over Sam Darnold in 2025
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/minnesota-vikings/news/troy-aikman%E2%80%99s-take-good-news-vikings-fans-who-want-jj-mccarthy-over-sam-darnold-2025/bfa9798bf62fd8ad468cc485
As the teams played out the string in the fourth quarter, Troy Aikman commented on some big offseason decisions looming for Minnesota during the Monday Night Football broadcast. For Vikings fans ready to hand the reins to McCarthy in 2025, Aikman’s take is for you:
That conversation’s a different conversation today than it was two weeks ago. I know they really like J.J. McCarthy. He’ll be back and he’ll be healthy. What that looks like for Sam … and he’s had a great year. I mean, there’s no denying that. He did a lot of good things for this organization, obviously a big part, the quarterback always is, if you’re going to go and win 14 games. He played at a really high level. It’s just, last week and this week will leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth going into this offseason.
Kevin O’Connell says what every Vikings fan is thinking after brutal loss vs. Rams
“We’ve got to find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket. … There could be a 1,000 excuses made, but for me, it’s the foundation of the interior of the pocket that we’re going to have to take a long look at.”
The offensive line looked like a strength for much of the year. ESPN’s pass block win rate had the Vikings second this season at 70%. However, most of the struggles the Vikings had came after that 2.5-second mark at which ESPN grades pass block win rate.
How much of it is really on the offensive line? Of the six sacks that happened in the first half, two of them came before 4.4 seconds, with all of them taking at least 3.2 seconds to get home.
You can argue that the Vikings need a better offensive line and you’d be right. However, how much of it is truly on the offensive line when head coach Kevin O’Connell is trying to continuously generate explosives? That’s a good question that we will answer when the all-22 comes out.
What does this mean for the future of the Vikings? There will, at minimum, be a competition for both Blake Brandel and either Dalton Risner or Ed Ingram. It also could be a signal that this will be the priority this offseason.
There is one huge prize that is likely going to be available in free agency: Kansas City Chiefs right guard Trey Smith, who has played at a Pro Bowl/All-Pro level through his four years in the league. Adding him next to Brian O’Neill could be a game-changer for the Vikings’ offense in more ways than one.
Vikings should move on from Sam Darnold
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Darnold had a tremendous season with the Vikings, ranking fifth in passing yards (4,319) and passing touchdowns (35) while finishing sixth in passer rating (102.5). He led the Vikings to a 14-3 record and a playoff berth on just a $10 million salary, being one of the best bargains in football.
With that being said, Darnold’s last two games were horrendous. He completed just 53.1% of his passes for 411 yards with one touchdown, one interception with a 66.4 passer rating. Darnold was sacked 11 times in that stretch (including nine in the wild-card loss), but he also was slow in his progressions, took too long to get rid of the football and turned the ball over (fumble was returned for a touchdown by the Rams).
Darnold’s Cinderella story turned into a pumpkin real quick, enough of a sample size for the Vikings to move on. The Vikings needed Darnold to take over one of these two games and he failed to do so, making their 14-win season obsolete.
With J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings, the Vikings should let Darnold walk and allow someone else to pay him. Darnold may not ever have a better season than he had in 2024.
…
Vikings were most overrated team in NFL this season
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
No 14-win team is overrated, no matter how anyone tries to spin it. The Vikings had a tremendous season en route to a 14-3 record, but the end of their season took away the incredible year they had. Minnesota was outscored 58-18 in its final two games, failing to score 10 points against Detroit and Los Angeles.
In a weird twist, the Vikings lost back-to-back games to the same teams. They fell to the Lions in Week 6 and the Rams in Week 7, then lost to the Lions in Week 18 and the Rams in the wild-card round. Those were the only four losses by the Vikings all season — to the Lions and Rams.
The Vikings became the first 14-win team to lose back-to-back games to end the season, but that shouldn’t take away the year they had. Minnesota beat Green Bay twice and was 4-3 against 10-plus win teams. The Vikings weren’t an elite team, but they weren’t overrated, either.
…
Packers are still a Super Bowl contender in 2025
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Packers had the second-youngest playoff roster in NFL history (behind only last year’s team), yet didn’t have the look of a team that could make a deep playoff run all season. When the Packers faced any team at their level, they failed to win. Green bay was 0-6 against teams that finished with 11+ wins this season, a poor sign for a team that was supposed to be amongst the elite in the NFC.
The truth behind the Packers? They were a third-place team in their division that beat up on the bad teams and couldn’t beat the good teams. They did improve their win total in each of the last three seasons, but this year was supposed to be more than just being a No. 7 seed and trying to make a Cinderella playoff run.
The roster improved, but the wins against the elite teams were nonexistent. Green Bay has to start collecting victories against Detroit, Philadelphia, and Minnesota if the Packers want to be on their tier. They just weren’t able to do it this year.
Jordan Love is still talented. The offense and defense are top-10 units, but just came up small against really good teams. That will have to change in 2025.
25 Minnesota Vikings slated to be free agents during 2025 offseason
Unrestricted free agents
RB Cam Akers
S Camryn Bynum*
DT Jonathan Bullard*
QB Sam Darnold*
OG Dan Feeney
CB Stephon Gilmore*
CB Shaq Griffin
LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
RB Aaron Jones*
QB Daniel Jones
EDGE Patrick Jones II
WR Brandon Powell
OT David Quessenberry
OG Dalton Risner*
OT Cam Robinson*
WR Trent Sherfield Sr.
DT Jerry Tillery
CB Byron Murphy*
CB Fabian Moreau
QB Nick Mullens
TE Johnny Mundt*
EDGE Jihad Ward*
Restricted free agents
S Theo Jackson
P Ryan Wright
Exclusive rights free agents
DT Jalen Redmond
Most could go or be re-signed for similar small deals. My order of importance would be Daniel Jones, Byron Murphy, Camryn Bynum, Jonathan Bullard, Aaron Jones, and Dalton Risner.
Yore Mock
Quick & Dirty Offseason Plan
Year : Cap Space
2025 : $69,570,877
2026: $100,430,510
Signings
Daniel Jones – 2 yr 30M
Byron Murphy – 3 yr 51M
Aaron Jones – 2 yr 11M
Teven Jenkins – 4 yr 72M
Trey Smith – 4 yr 88M
Milton Williams – 3 yr 60M
Cuts
Ed Ingram
2025 : $19,095,877
2026: $19,230,510
…
They could restructure/extend O’Neill to free up more space and do other cuts as well.
Also, there would be several small one year deals given to veterans similar to last year.
Starting offensive line:
Christian Darrisaw – 6’5” 315
Teven Jenkins – 6’6” 321
Garrett Bradbury – 6’3” 300
Trey Smith – 6’6” 321
Brian O’Neil – 6’7” 310
Backups
Blake Brandel – 6’7” 315
Michael Jurgens – 6’4” 311
Walter Rouse – 6’6” 313
Trade Recap
Minnesota Receives:
2025: Round 1, Pick 31
2025: Round 2, Pick 63
2025: Round 4, Pick 131
Kansas City Receives:
2025: Round 1, Pick 24
2025: Round 3, Pick 97
…
Minnesota Receives:
2025: Round 2, Pick 36
2025: Round 4, Pick 105
Jacksonville Receives:
2025: Round 1, Pick 31
….
Minnesota Receives:
2025: Round 2, Pick 40
2025: Round 4, Pick 128
New Orleans Receives:
2025: Round 2, Pick 36
…
Minnesota Receives:
2025: Round 5, Pick 139
2025: Round 5, Pick 163
Carolina Receives:
2025: Round 4, Pick 128
…
Minnesota Receives:
2025: Round 5, Pick 174
2025: Round 6, Pick 211
Baltimore Receives:
2025: Round 5, Pick 163
…
40. Trey Amos CB Mississippi 6’1” 190
Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
63. T.J. Sanders DL South Carolina 6’4” 290
Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
105. Cameron Skattebo RB Arizona State 5’11” 215
Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images
131. Malachi Moore S Alabama 6’0” 201
Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images
138. Jack Bech WR TCU 6’2” 215
Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
139. Jonah Monheim IOL USC 6’5” 310
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images
159. J.J. Pegues DL Mississippi 6’2” 325
Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
174. Terrance Ferguson TE Oregon 6’5” 255
Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images
211. Cody Simon LB Ohio State 6’2” 235
Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images
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