Kevin O'Connell, the QB coaches and backups have Darnold playing at a high level. Can he bounce back from the Week 18 debacle in Detroit?

During the first few seasons of his NFL career, former USC QB Sam Darnold went viral for all of the wrong reasons. There was his first ever NFL pass being a pick six. There was the graphic of him being out with mononucleosis.

Pardon us. Coming through. Sorry to interrupt the pitch-fork party’s tarring and feathering of the quarterback y’all loved five days ago when he was 14-2 but … This, believe it or not, is a story about someone other than Sam Darnold who needs to play better against the Rams in the playoffs on Monday night.

And yet, even after resting their starters to effectively throw away the third seed in Week 18, Sean McVay and the Rams aren't taking their foe for granted, as on Monday, the Super Bowl-winning head coach told reporters just how impressed he's been with Sam Darnold in Kevin O'Connell's offensive scheme.

Despite his struggles in Week 18, the free agency market for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold remains highly competitive.

The Vikings won 14 games often through Sam Darnold’s arm this season. Yet on the biggest stage so far, Darnold’s arm fell flat during Sunday night’s 31-9 loss to the Lions. Players and coaches say the critiques should begin with their failures in the red zone,

Sam Darnold was on an unbelievable run with the Minnesota Vikings this season. He led them to a 14-2 record going into the final NFL regular season game and even stirred up conversations about the Vikings keeping him long term and trading J.