Kevin O'Connell had several explanations for Darnold's brutal playoff loss to the Rams and very few hints about where the QB position is headed.

With all due respect to the stupid (and desperate) NFL team that will eventually give Sam Darnold a Brink’s Truck of money this offseason — I urge you to reconsider. Monday night’s Minnesota Vikings wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams was a microcosm of Darnold’s inherent flaws as a difference-making quarterback. Proceed with caution.

At the dawn of the new year, Sam Darnold was a folk hero in Minnesota. Not only did the quarterback -- no longer locally branded a reclamation project, but rather a full-blown, high-octane Pro Bowler -- sweep the rival Green Bay Packers to give the Vikings their best regular-season record in 16 years,