All Trojans

Minnesota Vikings' Sam Darnold Reacts To Last-Minute Loss To Detroit Lions: 'Resilient'

Despite a great effort and one of the most gusty performances of his career, former USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings fell short against the Detroit Lions in a 31-29 barnburner. The Vikings are no longer undefeated, but Darnold is looking forward, as confident as ever.

Kyron Samuels

Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) and Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and fullback C.J. Ham (right) look on before the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) and Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and fullback C.J. Ham (right) look on before the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Minnesota Vikings entered Sunday’s division contest against the Detroit Lions undefeated with a 5-0 record. After a hard-fought, four-quarter battle, the Detroit Lions handed the Vikings their first loss of the season in a 31-29 slugfest. Despite the loss, former USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold had one of his most resilient outings after overcoming an early interception.

“Yeah. That’s just kind of the team that we have. You know? No matter what the score is, no matter what’s happening, we’re going to continue to be resilient,” said Darnold in the post-game press conference.

Darnold finished the game completing 22 of 27 passes for 259 yards with one touchdown and one interception. In a surprising turn of events, Darnold was also the Vikings' second-leading rusher with 39 rushing yards on four attempts. The Viking's offense was mostly boom or bust, but they’ve done a great job of capitalizing on the second half this season, outscoring the Lions 19-10 in the last two quarters.

Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnol
Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) looks on during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Minnesota's comeback fell short, losing to Detroit on a late field goal. After the game, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell reiterated the confidence he has in his team.

O'Connell said, "Make no mistake about it, I got a lot of confidence in the guys in the locker room. I got a lot of confidence in the coaching staff. What happened today means absolutely nothing moving forward other than we got to go back to work and continue to improve as a football team."

Darnold now has 12 passing touchdowns on the season, which ranks fourth best in the NFL. He’s also completing 66.5% of his passes and has a 104.0 quarterback rating with only five interceptions. Darnold hasn’t been perfect, but he’s greatly out-performing the expectations and giving the Vikings a chance to win every game they’ve played in so far. 

“Yeah, it’s still early in the season. Obviously, Detroit [Lions] is a good football team. Green Bay [Packers] is a really good football team. Chicago [Bears] is a good football team. So, we’re just going to continue to put our heads down and work. That’s all we know how to do. Obviously, we have a short week this week, so we have a lot of guys in there already recovering and getting ready for Thursday.” Darnold continued. 

The Vikings are 5-1 and still sit amongst the NFL’s few one-loss teams. They’re in the driver's seat for a playoff spot and have a chance to win the incredibly competitive NFC North division. They’ll quickly get a chance to get this bad taste out of their mouths when they take on the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.

MORE: USC Trojans Quarterback Miller Moss After Maryland Loss: 'Going to Continue to Fight'

MORE: USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley on Loss to Maryland: 'Tough One to Swallow'

MORE: USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley: 'This Job Is Very Different'

MORE: Ranking USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley's Salary: Worst Contract in College Football?

MORE: USC Trojans vs. Maryland Terrapins 3 Instant Takeaways: Missing Offensive Identity

MORE: USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Shuts Down Miller Moss Starting Quarterback Questions

MORE: Former USC Trojans' Quarterback Matt Leinart on Maryland Loss: 'We Can't Finish'

Published |Modified
Kyron Samuels
KYRON SAMUELS

Kyron Samuels is a former college and professional football player now a writer, analyst, & digital host. Kyron is a writer for USC Trojans on SI and contributes to Oregon Ducks on SI. A graduate and letterman at Jacksonville State University, Samuels was a three-year starter, two-time all-conference, and won three consecutive conference titles. After a four-year professional stint between the AFL & XFL, Samuels retired from football. In 2022, Samuels was inducted into the Fairhope Athletic Hall of Fame. Post-playing career, Samuels has become a credentialed sports media member covering the NFL, UFL, USFL, & college football. The NFL Combine, Reese’s Senior Bowl, & East-West Shrine Bowl are amongst the events Kyron has covered. As a guest and host, Samuels has been featured on ESPNRadio, FoxSportsRadio, & IHeartRadio. Outside of sports media, Samuels works as a scouting consultant and has experience coaching at the collegiate level.

Home/Football