There is no sugarcoating it for the Minnesota Vikings. They got their butts kicked 31-9 by the Detroit Lions in a game for both the NFC North and the number one seed in the NFC.
One of the biggest factors in the Vikings' inability to get the job done is quarterback Sam Darnold's struggle all night. There were a lot of close calls on Sunday night, especially in the red zone where the Vikings went 0-4 and had two fourth downs fail inside the 10 yard line.
It was a major disappointment for everyone, especially Darnold, who has thrived all season in dominating in the margins. He was pinpoint accurate more often than not, but he wasn't on Sunday.
Kevin O'Connell comments on Sam Darnold's performance vs. Lions
The Vikings needed a great performance from Darnold to keep up with the Lions' high-powered offense and they didn't get it. However, his process was relatively solid most of the night, as they were inches away from multiple touchdowns.
During his Monday press conference, head coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about Darnold's performance and gave a very thoughtful answer about his mechanics versus his mindset.
"That is honestly a great way to put it. I think it's a little bit of both. There’s some things where mindset and mechanics sometimes can intertwine. Previous plays impacting the next. There's about, maybe five, six, seven, eight plays in that game where it's across the board, the quarterback's going to the spotlight on him when a when a play looks to be available to make and we don't make it. Pitches and catches that we've done at a pretty high level all season long within our offense, not it's not showing up. Even though we're able to make some plays, there were some plays that could have changed the rhythm and the momentum of that game, especially in that kind of environment that if you can make one or two or three of those opportunities, maybe it looks a little different. Maybe the energy is a little different.
The first part of his comments themselves are very interesting. It also personifies how the Vikings played on Sunday night. There were 5-6 plays where they were inches away from not just gaining yards down the field, but also scoring three touchdowns.
“Yeah, just – I think for me personally, got to watch the tape, first of all, to see, but just got to hit the throws, it’s as simple as that,” said Darnold after the game. "I felt like my feet and my eyes – I felt like I was good from that standpoint. I felt like I made some of the right reads, I missed a couple, but for the most part, especially early on, I felt like I went to the right place with the ball. I’ve just got to hit the throw.”
Games in the NFL are a game of inches. A few inches one direction could have resulted in another 14+ points for the Vikings and essentially changed the course of the game. They have made those plays all season, but couldn't find a way to do so on Sunday night.
Even with the accuracy issues that Darnold had on Sunday, that hasn't changed how O'Connell feels about Darnold.
"But specifically, regarding Sam [Darnold], the kind of year he's had and the way he's responded from any moments of adversity. I'm really excited to get to work with him this week. My confidence level that we can get him right back on track is as high as it could be, and I know our coaches feel the same way and I know most importantly his teammates feel the same way. But yeah, combination of a lot of little things that when you add that into some lack of execution and job that I did as well, it adds up to not a very good performance on a big moment that we certainly wanted to do a lot better yesterday. I more look at it as it's my job to make sure that it starts with me and I work my way out from there. Sam's a big part of it and that's what we're going to do."
The Vikings have another huge game on Monday night with this one being a win-or-go-home affair against the Los Angeles Rams, and their success will continue to ride on the back of Darnold.
