Maybe the ghosts of MetLife traveled to State Farm Stadium.
Sam Darnold’s first half of playoff football quickly turned disastrous, with the Vikings quarterback — and Jets castoff — turning the ball over twice and taking six sacks as the Rams jumped out to a double-digit lead in the NFC wild-card round en route to an eventual 27-9 victory.
Darnold, during the regular season, revived his career under Kevin O’Connell, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while making his most starts in a campaign since 2021.
He helped Minnesota fall just a Week 18 win short of clinching the NFC’s top seed.
But with the Vikings facing the Rams to start the playoffs, Darnold led them to a field goal on their second drive before turning the ball over on the next two possessions.
Cobie Durant intercepted Darnold snaps after Minnesota crossed into Los Angeles territory, and after Ahkello Witherspoon sacked Darnold and forced a fumble, Jared Verse scooped up the ball and raced 57 yards for a touchdown.
In the third quarter, Darnold connected with tight end T.J. Hockenson for a 26-yard touchdown, but that was all the scoring Minnesota managed in the second half as Darnold — who will be a free agent this offseason — took three more sacks as the Rams’ defense tied the NFL record for most in a playoff game with nine.
Darnold, who was drafted No. 3 overall by the Jets in 2018 and spent the first three years of his career underwhelming with Gang Green before stints with the Panthers and 49ers, finished 25-of-40 for 245 yards, the touchdown and the two turnovers.
His playoff dud followed a Week 18 game where he completed just 18-of-41 passes for 166 yards during a 31-9 loss against the Lions, which forced Minnesota to play on the road during the opening round of the playoffs despite a 14-3 record during the regular season.
At times during the season, Darnold appeared to position himself for a deal that extended beyond the one-year, $10 million contract he secured with the Vikings.
Even after his rocky playoff debut, that could still be the case.
But there are certainly more questions after the younger version of Darnold materialized again on the biggest stage of his career.
