Sam Darnold, the Vikings’ unexpected hero of 2024, had his worst performance of the season when something was on the line. Normally steadfast in the pocket, Darnold wasn’t only blitzed out of his shoes by an aggressive Cover 0 defense from Aaron Glenn — but more worrying was the instances where Darnold responded to perceived pressure when it didn’t exist.

The Minnesota Vikings endured a miserable start against the LA Rams, not helped by a series of sluggish decisions from the quarterback.

Sam Darnold's strong 2024 NFL regular season with the Vikings ended with a thud in Monday night's lopsided wild-card playoff loss to the Rams. Here's what it means for his offseason value in 2025.