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.

What Sam Darnold experienced Sunday night against the Lions was worse than what Daniel Jones experienced in his Week 1 start against the Vikings when he played for the Giants.

Jahmyr Gibbs topped 100 yards rushing in all 3 games the Lions played without David Montgomery and fell just shy of 2,000 scrimmage yards.

Darnold posted one of the worst games of his career in terms of completion percentage when the Vikings needed him.

In Sunday night's huge matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, Darnold struggled mightily in the first two-plus quarters, specifically in the red zone.

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.

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

Sam Darnold looked like the Jets version of himself instead of the potential franchise quarterback he’s resembled for most of the season during an awful performance in the Vikings’ 31-9 loss to the Lions in the battle for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the NFC North crown on “Sunday Night Football.”

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.

The next time Minnesota stopped the Lions came with 27 seconds to play. Darnold took a knee, ending the game and sending the Vikings to face old rival Matthew Stafford on Monday night. They are the NFL’s first 14-win wild-card team.

The Detroit Lions' defense has been much maligned for its recent struggles. However, when the lights were the brightest, the group showed up in a big way. With