Everything Kevin O’Connell said after Vikings fall to Rams in playoffs

The first 17 weeks of the 2024 NFL season were nothing short of magical for the Minnesota Vikings. This team had low expectations after not only missing the 2023 NFL playoffs but then losing Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. The plan was either to start Sam Darnold at quarterback for a year and lose a bunch of games or roll with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy under center. McCarthy's season-ending injury set the stage for Darnold to take the reigns and led to a lot of fun times in the regular season for Minnesota.

The Vikings went 14-2 through the first 17 weeks of the season. Despite that, they hadn't clinched the NFC North thanks to the play of the Detroit Lions. The Vikings had a chance to do that on the road in Detroit, but were blown out. They had to settle for the No. 5 seed in the NFC and a road game against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round. That game went just about as poorly as their final regular season contest.

The Vikings trailed 24-3 at the half and never made things interesting. Sam Darnold had his second consecutive dud, and the Vikings, after a phenomenal regular season, were sent home quicker than anyone could've imagined.

The loss appeared to have hit Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell harder than just about anyone, and he had a lot to say about it postgame.

It sure sounds like Sam Darnold's future with Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings is murky at best

First and foremost, O'Connell described the mood in the locker room after the loss. Things appeared to be somber at best, which is to be expected when a season ends as abruptly as Minnesota's did.

“Very tough feeling in that locker room right now. This team was really one of one in my mind, as far as the feeling that's in there right now. This team truly did a lot of special things this year, but we didn’t play well enough to win this football game.”

The Vikings didn't play well enough to win, obviously, but O'Connell was quick to shoulder at least some of the blame.

"First and always, I know I've gotta be better for our team. I've got 100 percent confidence in our players, our coaches. We've got the right kind of things going on in this organization, but we've gotta find a way to play better as a team and complement each other and do the things we need to do to win games against the class of the NFL."

O'Connell made sure to praise the work Sam Darnold did all season long for his team. Expectations were incredibly low for Darnold, a former first-round pick who had struggled mightily virtually every chance he got to start at the NFL level, but he played at an MVP level for much of the year. In fact, he earned a spot on the NFC's Pro Bowl roster.

"What he was able to do this year, when not very many people thought he would be able to lead a team to 14 wins, which is rare," O'Connell said. "The way he came in, committed himself to just a daily process to be the best version of himself."

While it was important for O'Connell to praise the work Darnold did, he also acknowledged that his quarterback was far from perfect.

"It did not work out in the end. I think Sam would be the first one to tell you. Could he have played better tonight? I'm sure he would tell you he could have. Could I have coached better? I promise you I could have. Could our team have rallied around a play here and there to keep it close? For sure."

What's notable about this statement here is that O'Connell said it did not work out in the end. Does he mean at the end of this season, or that this season was Darnold's last in Minnesota? Darnold is set to hit free agency at the end of the season, and McCarthy is expected to be fully healthy by the start of next season.

Statements like these certainly suggest the latter. O'Connell acknowledged that Darnold has a special place in his heart thanks to how he played, but it certainly sounds like the two sides are far from a lock to stick together.

As for the offseason, O'Connell made it a point to say improving the offensive line is going to be a priority.

"There's no question that we got to be able to find a way to be able to give a quarterback [time], especially with players like Justin [Jefferson], Jordan [Addison], T.J. [Hockenson]. We've gotta find a way to solidify the interior of the pocket, starting first and foremost."

Sam Darnold took nine sacks in this game. It's very hard to win football games when the quarterback takes nine sacks. Obviously, a lot of that has to do with Darnold holding onto the ball for far too long. However, it wasn't only Darnold's fault. He was under pressure all game against the Rams, and that was a constant theme in their final regular season game against the Lions as well. For the Vikings to have success against the elite teams next season, their interior offensive line must be upgraded.