Vikings miss chance to claim NFC North crown on back of Darnold’s poor performance
Heading into the 272nd and final game of the 2024 NFL regular season, the Minnesota Vikings had it all to play for – but they failed miserably.
IMAGE: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold reacts after a play during the second half of Sunday’s loss to the Lions at Ford Field in Detroit (NurPhoto/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings travelled to Ford Field earlier this week to face off the Detroit Lions in the last game of the regular season on the back of a nine-game win streak – their longest since 1975. A win would see them claim their 22nd divisional title, along with their first 15-win season and #1 seeding since 1998.
A tie wouldn’t be enough for the Vikings to claim the division, with the Lions holding the tiebreaker courtesy of their 31-29 victory over the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in week 7. In that game Lions kicker Jake Bates gave his team the lead after he hit a 44-yard field goal with just 15 seconds remaining.
But instead of getting a bye next week and having home ground advantage until the Super Bowl, the Vikings couldn’t score a touchdown against an increasingly depleted Lions defence, losing 31-9.
Head Coach Kevin O’Connell’s men failed to fire in the first season finale that would determine the #1 seed since 1993, when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants 16-13 in overtime courtesy of a 41-yard Eddie Murray field goal.
Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold never found his rhythm, with the Vikings’ first two drives of the game resulting in punts – the first time that had happened all season.
Their third drive was somewhat better, getting to Detroit’s three-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs after uncharacteristically going for it on fourth down when Darnold’s pass to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson was incomplete.
The Vikings retained possession quickly when Ivan Pace picked off Lions quarterback Jared Goff and returned the ball to Detroit’s seven-yard line. However, Darnold couldn’t connect with Jefferson on any of his attempts to connect with Jefferson, resulting in a field goal. Darnold’s poor red-zone form continued the next drive (he went one from eight for four yards in the first half), with the team having to settle for another field goal.
But what happened next was an embarrassing reflection of the Vikings’ performance on the night.
Kicker Will Reichard sent the kick off out of bounds, which gave Detroit the ball back at their own 40 with just 20 seconds remaining. Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for 19 yards, taking five seconds off the clock but putting the Lions in Vikings territory.
Goff then hit Kalif Raymond for 11 yards, with Detroit taking their final time out with two seconds left in the half. Although Minnesota took a time out in their attempt to ice Bates, it didn’t faze him. He nailed the 48-yard field goal attempt, giving the Lions a 10-6 lead at the half.
The Vikings were similarly sloppy in the second half, with their six offensive drives resulting in two turnovers on downs, a punt, a field goal, a missed field goal, and a kneel down to end the game. Darnold completed just 18 of his 41 pass attempts (a 43.9% completion rate) for 166 yards – both season lows for the seventh-year quarterback.
Their defence had no answer for running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who had 170 all-purpose yards and four total touchdowns (including three after half time). His second touchdown – a 10-yard reception late in the third quarter – capped a 13-play, 70-yard drive that saw the Lions take nearly seven-and-a-half minutes off the clock.
The Vikings will now have to dust themselves off and travel to SoFi Stadium and play the Los Angeles Rams, the NFC West champions and #4 seed, in the Wild Card round next Monday night.
While Darnold has performed better than anyone could have expected this season, another poor performance against the Rams will only add fuel to the discussion of what the Vikings will do at quarterback next season.
Rookie JJ McCarthy, drafted 10th overall ahead of the 2024 season, could be a potential long-term solution, but he didn’t play at all this year after tearing his meniscus in the preseason.
The Vikings signed former New York Giants Daniel Jones after he was released following his mid-season benching, but the majority of his time with Big Blue was more disappointing than inspiring.
The NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend kicks off on Sunday morning (Australia time) with the Los Angeles Chargers (#5 seed) on the road to the Houston Texans (#4 seed and AFC South champions).
The timeframe of this article is limited based on what data are freely/easily available and/or accessible. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you spot any errors in what I have presented.