Sam Darnold picked a terrible day to have his worst game wearing purple.
The Minnesota quarterback put up a season-low 166 yards and a 43.9 completion percent with zero touchdowns for the first time since Week 10, as the Vikings got steamrolled in Detroit, 31-9. Darnold and the Vikings were particularly putrid in the red zone, where they committed two turnovers on downs and settled for two chip-shot field goals on four trips.
“You can’t go out there and kick field goals in the red zone against a team like (the Lions),” Darnold said, via the Associated Press. “Our defense played great and kept us in the game, but we didn’t finish when we had the chance.”
The inability to finish drives early completely changed the tenor of the contest, giving the Lions offense time to find its groove. Detroit’s three consecutive touchdown drives in the late third quarter and early fourth quarter blasted open a one-point contest.
Darnold had been sensational entering Week 18, earning a Pro Bowl nod and helping turn a club that few believed could threaten for a playoff bid heading into the season into an offensive firebrand. However, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn brought waves of pressure that had Darnold looking like the Jets-version for the first time all season.
“We didn’t do a lot of the things that we’ve consistently done all season long, and this game came down to finishing in the red zone, weighty downs, third downs, pitching and catching,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said.