Vikings' Sam Darnold roughed up by Rams in postseason feat not seen in 25 years

01/13/2025 11:09 PM

During their Wild Card matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold reached an all-time low not seen in over two decades, per Sheil Kapadia on X.

“The six sacks Sam Darnold has taken are the most by any QB in the first half of a playoff game in the last 25 years,” Kapadia wrote.

Not only have the Vikings struggled overall against the Rams on Monday night, but Sean McVay’s defense — specifically, rookie Jared Verse — has been lights out against Darnold.

In the first half of this game, Darnold was sacked six times, a feat that hasn’t been met since the turn of this century.

The last person to suffer a similar playoff beatdown is Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

In the 2021 playoffs, when the Bengals faced off against the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round, Burrow was sacked nine total times, with five coming in the first half.

After Darnold faced his sixth sack of the first half, the Vikings’ quarterback surpassed Burrow, standing alone among quarterbacks since 2000 to suffer such a low in the postseason.

Now, at least for Burrow, he was able to lead a playoff victory for the Bengals, coming away with a narrow 19-16 win.

However, Darnold and the Vikings don’t look to be as successful in Wild Card Weekend as Burrow and the Bengals were in 2021.

Following six sacks in the first half, Darnold continued facing pressure, adding a seventh in the fourth quarter, as the Vikings look to fall with relative ease in their Monday night matchup against the Rams.

And barring a fourth-quarter miracle for the Vikings, Darnold’s historically poor playoff performance won’t be parlayed with a heroic defeat of the Rams. Instead, his frustrating night looks to be paired with a first-round exit, something Minnesota sports fans appear to be used to.

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