The Most Predictable Vikings Ending
Of course, it was going to go this way. It always goes this way. There’s a reason why Minnesota sports fans are seen as such a tortured group. The Minnesota Vikings had plenty of things working to their credit in a wildcard matchup against Los Angeles but instead got destroyed.
The Most Predictable Vikings Ending
After a 14-win season, there was hope that the Minnesota Vikings could make noise in the playoffs. To do so, they needed the best version of Sam Darnold. That version ceased to exist in the last two games, and they might have seen one of the worst versions on Monday night.
Despite thoughts of a lucrative payday in his not-so-distant future, Sam Darnold did everything he could to cost himself money. He hung onto the football. He missed open wide receivers. He made poor reads. Nothing he did for the Minnesota Vikings worked.
Of course, it wasn’t all on Darnold. Kevin O’Connell, for the second straight week, was out-coached. Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions got the best of Minnesota’s head coach in Week 18, and for the second time this season, Sean McVay beat his understudy.
The Vikings didn’t make Monday night’s game interesting. They let the Rams drive down the field on the opening possession and score. They quickly gave the ball back and found themselves down 10-0 early. A controversial scoop and score may have changed the game, but it being taken away was all too symbolic of what fans have come to know.
In the biggest moments, during the biggest games of the season, the Minnesota Vikings are just set up to fall short. There is a laundry list of games that Vikings fans can recall through the lens of a singular play. Something that went wrong gets put down in the book of franchise lore. It can’t be a curse when it has just become expected.
Things weren’t supposed to go this way on Monday night. Vikings fans packed a stadium in Arizona where the game was relocated. They were favorites when taking the field, and the Rams weren’t supposed to beat them twice. No matter what, though, there was never a level of confidence that suggested the outcome was one to bank on.
Ultimately, the contest will just go down as another situation in which Minnesota wonders what could have been. Sam Darnold and Kevin O’Connell got them there, only to flop at the worst possible time. Turn the page; it’s on to next year.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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