Darnold played poorly on Sunday night against the Lions. His resilience will determine the Vikings' postseason fate in the coming weeks.

As the Vikings immediately started the process of turning the page following a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions, Kevin O’Connell made his way toward the 50-yard line to shake hands with his counterpart Dan Campbell.

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

After leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 27-25 win over the Green Bay Packers last week, Darnold was mobbed in the locker room by his teammates and lifted up onto their shoulders. The clip quickly went viral on social media as a sign of the support that Minneosta’s players have for their quarterback.

DETROIT - After the Vikings’ 31-9 loss to the Lions on Sunday, center Garrett Bradbury and fellow offensive linemen debriefed inside the visitor’s locker room about just how aggressively Detroit’s defense played while grounding quarterback Sam Darnold and Minnesota’s prolific passing attack.

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.J. McCarthy to a quarterback-hungry team.

Host Michael Rand was joined by Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse for a look back at the weekend in Minnesota sports, which of course started with the Vikings’ disappointing 31-9 loss in Detroit.

Dave Helman and Henry McKenna sit down to Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings' expectations going into the NFL playoffs with a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Rams!

Detroit dominated in the most important game of the regular season, and the difference was a quarterback who looks ready for the challenges ahead.

But McCarthy suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the preseason, and free agent signing Sam Darnold has led the Vikings to a surprising 14-2 record with a chance to win the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 overall seed on Sunday with a win over the Detroit Lions.

The betting odds for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award have been rising. Can the former USC Trojans leader beat Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow for the honor?