The problem was that those great plays from Darnold had evaporated in each of the last two weeks.

In the first 17 weeks of Darnold’s revitalization, he threw 35 touchdowns. He threw one in the last two.

Similarly, Darnold posted a 106.4 passer rating in Weeks 1 through 17 and a 66.4 rating in the last two.

O’Connell, who looked every bit the QB whisperer as he got the most out of the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, continued to support Darnold’s continued maturation.

“Remember, this guy is 27 years old or whatever he is,” O’Connell said. “I think he now has a foundation in both the things you do at the quarterback position to be successful and the things you sometimes have to learn the hard way. You talk to some of the best players to play the game in that position. They all had that.” I think Sam will take a lot of positives from this year. What’s the next step for him to find that consistency? I will do the same.

But will O’Connell and Darnold strive for that consistency together in 2025?

After the dilemma of how the Vikings’ successful season came to a catastrophic end so quickly, the main question for the club is the QB room.

Darnold was in line for a big payday this offseason whether the Vikings re-signed him, gave him the franchise tag, or he hit the open market. Now Darnold’s stock has plummeted in two games.

“I’m not worried about that,” Darnold said of what impact the last two weeks will have on his future. “That’s a thing of the past. At the moment, like I said, I’m just thinking about what I could have done better today and just spending time with the guys in the locker room. That’s really all I’m focused on right now.” At the end of the day, there’s only one season in the NFL with everyone together. For me it’s not that easy to spend so much time that I can spend with these guys in the locker room and then I’ll think about what the future holds after that.

Minnesota’s season ended Monday with three first-round quarterbacks on the roster: Darnold (acquired from the New York Jets in 2018); Daniel Jones (acquired from the New York Giants in 2019) and JJ McCarthy (acquired from the Vikings in 2024).

Jones was the third emergency quarterback on Monday.

McCarthy is still coming back from knee surgery that ended his rookie season before it even began.

Darnold, who struggled in his time with the Jets and then the Carolina Panthers, showed enough promise as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers to be signed by the Vikings last offseason as a potential bridge to McCarthy.

At this point, it’s fair to say that the Vikings don’t have a solid plan for their starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2025 season. As uncertain as Darnold’s future is, it also appears uncertain for the Vikings at the most important position in the game.

“I also want to say that I think it’s very important that we think about Sam’s body of work,” O’Connell said. “What he did this year when not many people thought he could lead a team to 14 wins. Very rare for a first-year quarterback. In fact, it is rare for the most wins to come from a first-year quarterback with a team.

What he did in the last two losses could well have wiped out his regaining of 14 wins.

The offseason – which, unfortunately for Minnesota, began Monday night – will provide the answer.