After a regular season in which they didn’t have their first-round rookie quarterback at all, and head coach Kevin O’Connell made Sam Darnold a thing for the first time in Darnold’s NFL career, the Minnesota Vikings were thisclose to turning their Super Bowl dreams into reality for the first time since the end of the 1976 season. The team that ranked seventh in DVOA in that regular season — 15th on offense and second on defense — fell apart in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions, as Darnold turned into a pumpkin against a defensive game plan that helped Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn bag his current gig as the New York Jets’ head coach.
Minnesota Vikings Hidden Gems: 3 Secret Superstars on the 2025 roster
