5 things that stood out from Vikings' demoralizing wild-card loss to Rams

An early mistake, Sam Darnold's struggles and a controversial call were among key moments in the ugly loss.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson makes a catch against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half in an NFC wild-card game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 13, 2025.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson makes a catch against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half in an NFC wild-card game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 13, 2025. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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It came to an end as soon as it started.

The Minnesota Vikings were knocked out of the playoffs following a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in a wild-card game Monday night in Glendale, Arizona. A 14-win regular season came crashing down with a first-round playoff exit.

The game was almost over from the start, and now the Vikings will spend the offseason searching for answers. What that will look like remains to be seen, but there was plenty that stood out from their final game of the 2024-25 season:

Darnold struggles again

It just was not the game Sam Darnold was looking for coming off an ugly showing last week in Detroit. His day started with a three-and-out. An ill-advised throw to Jordan Addison turned into a bad interception. The most significant turnover was a strip-sack fumble, one of six times he was sacked in the first half, which Jared Verse returned 57 yards for a touchdown.

Darnold was sacked nine times overall, and the six sacks in the first half marked just the second time a quarterback had been sacked five or more times in the first half of a playoff game since 2000, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. Making matters worse was that on all of them, Darnold had at least 3.2 seconds to throw, according to Next Gen Stats. And on four of the sacks, Darnold had at least 4.4 seconds to throw. The Rams took advantage of his tendency to hold the ball.

Overall, Darnold completed 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown, the interception and the fumble. His offensive line didn't do him many favors, and Brian O'Neill exited due to injury later in the game, but Darnold simply held it for too long.

It's the type of game that makes one wonder whether the Vikings will be willing to dish out big money for him in the offseason, or if they'd rather turn the page toward rookie J.J. McCarthy. It's hard to imagine they'd use a franchise tag now.

Critical early miscue

The Rams came out swinging out of the gates, with Matthew Stafford completing a pair of 20-plus-yard passes to get them into the red zone. The Vikings had a chance to hold them to a field goal, forcing a fourth-and-1. But on a hard count, Jonathan Bullard jumped offsides, giving the Rams an automatic first down. One play later, Stafford found running back Kyren Williams for a 5-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 Rams lead. That set the tone, and the Vikings never bounced back.

Controversial call

Despite the rough start, the game didn't truly get out of hand until a controversial call went against the Vikings later in the first quarter. After Will Reichard's 34-yard field goal cut the deficit to 10-3, Minnesota appeared to get the game-changing play it needed as Jonathan Greenard strip-sacked Stafford and Blake Cashman scooped it and ran it 26 yards for a score.

But as all scoring plays are, it was reviewed and eventually overturned to an incomplete pass. Stafford flipped it in the direction of Puka Nacua, which was enough to negate the touchdown. And apparently enough to avoid grounding as well.

Questionable coaching

There's no question Kevin O'Connell is an excellent NFL coach, but that doesn't make him immune to some questionable decisions. One of those came near the end of the first half. With the ball at the 50-yard line with under two minutes remaining in the half, O'Connell elected to go for it on fourth-and-2. Darnold was sacked for a loss of 11 yards.

Five plays later, Stafford hit Davis Allen for a 13-yard touchdown pass and 24-3 lead.

In the third quarter, O'Connell challenged a play when Williams lost the ball after a run, arguing the ball was coming out before he was down. But it was pretty clear Williams' shin was down first, and O'Connell lost the challenge and a timeout.

It felt like a challenge out of utter desperation.

The offensive play calling wasn't nearly O'Connell's best. While it's impossible to nail every game, it was truly a case of O'Connell being outcoached by his former mentor Sean McVay. He'll learn from the disappointing outcome, no doubt.

Stafford has Flores' number

Only two teams beat the Vikings this season: the Rams and the Detroit Lions. No team has navigated Brian Flores' defense better than Stafford, who threw for 488 yards and six touchdowns to just one interception in two games against the Vikings this season. He was also sacked just twice, both coming Monday night, in the two matchups against Flores.

The numbers weren't eye-popping Monday night — Stafford completed 19 of 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns — but they didn't need to be. He was able to take advantage of short fields, made key throws when he needed to and evaded the Vikings' pass rush for most of the night. The Rams struggled on third down, going just 2 for 10, but most of the game came down to time management after they took a nearly insurmountable halftime lead.

The Vikings were unable to fool Stafford, who did plenty enough to lead the Rams into the divisional round.


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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.