Sam Darnold’s credibility in playoffs gets called out ruthlessly by Stephen A. Smith after Lions loss
Minnesota Vikings' Sam Darnold became the first quarterback to record fourteen wins in debut season with a team.
Stephen A Smith doesn’t trust the newly reformed Sam Darnold (Images via Imago)
On Sunday night, Detroit Lions humiliated the Minnesota Vikings in a lopsided game to secure the NFC top seed and earned a bye round in the postseason. The Vikings as a result hold the first wildcard spot, set to face Los Angeles Rams in the postseason instead of getting one week off.
Amid the Vikings meteoric rise, Sam Darnold has rejuvenated himself after disastrous seasons with New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. Darnold finished the season with 4319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, ranking fifth in both charts.
However, the Vikings QB failed to raise up to expectations on Sunday against the Lions when they scored just nine points. Darnold had only 18 completions in 41 attempts for 166 yards with no touchdowns.
As the Vikings head into the postseason, in a recent episode of First Take, Stephen A. Smith expressed his opinion on Darnold. Smith admitted that he does believe in Darnold’s capability to win postseason games but he isn’t sold on him.
In one of the previous episodes, Smith had made wrong assumptions about Sam Darnold. The quarterback had thrown for more than 300 yards twice since the victory over Bears on November 24. However, Smith got it wrong when he mentioned that he hasn’t thrown even once.
.@stephenasmith says he doesn't trust Sam Darnold in the playoffs ?
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 6, 2025
"Sam Darnold has the capability to win playoff games. … The question is, do you trust him? … HELL NO!" pic.twitter.com/RnPX0mqUMm
Sam Darnold wants to get over red-zone setbacks after worst performance of the season
The Vikings were overwhelmed in Detroit, suffering a 31-9 defeat. Darnold and the Vikings struggled significantly in the red zone, turning the ball over on downs twice and settling for two short field goals in four trips.
In a post game interview with the Associated Press, Darnold dived into their inability to score and finish. He admitted that the Vikings cannot exactly play and expect to win against post season calibre teams.
The Minnesota Vikings have made the playoffs 24 times since their historic 1976 trip. Despite his worst performance, Minnesota Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell expressed his confidence in the player’s abilities to lead them through. Even Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell admitted that he expects the Vikings in the Divisional Round.
Mohammed Bazim
(405 Articles Published)