The Vikings played remarkable football through the first 16 games of the season. They fell apart in the last game of the regular season against the Lions and were even worse in their 27-9 loss to the Rams in the Wild Card game. There is plenty of blame to go around, but most of it will center on Sam Darnold, the Vikings offensive line and head coach Kevin O'Connell.
The Vikings head coach made a name for himself as a quarterback guru and the remarkable job he did of taking Darnold from a replacement quarterback to a Pro Bowl performer. However, when it came to preparing his team for the biggest moments, O'Connell came up short.
Yes, he was inspirational when it came time to celebrate with his team and hand out game balls after regular-season victories. However, that's not what coaching is all about. He needed to build his team to a crescendo and not be so satisfied with regular-season wins.
Instead of telling his team how much he loved and respected them, he needed to demand more and make sure there was improvement each week.
There's no doubt that O'Connell is a great guy and very comfortable to play under and work for. But is he capable of getting tough with his players when he needs to? The fact that the question cannot be answered affirmatively at this point is a problem.
Darnold fell apart in each of the last two weeks. The biggest problem against the Rams in the Wild Card game was his indecision. The quarterback who made so many good decisions during the first 16 games of the regular season suddenly started to panic. Instead of reading the coverage and getting rid of the ball, Darnold held on to the football and was sacked 9 times.
The worst of those plays was the second-quarter sack and strip by Ahkello Witherspoon that was recovered by rookie defensive end Jared Verse and returned 57 yards for a touchdown that turned a 10-3 deficit into a two-touchdown margin.
The Vikings were reeling and never recovered. Instead of demonstrating the poise and skill that had been the hallmark of the season, their quarterback was falling apart. He missed open receivers because he could not get rid of the football.
It's hard to fake it in the NFL. The belief here is that Darnold was not faking anything when the Vikings won 14 of their first 16 games. If the Vikings don't bring him back next season, some team will be getting a winning quarterback. Can he step up and perform better in the most important games? That's something he will still have to prove.
There have been questions and issues regarding the offensive line for each of O'Connell's three seasons with the Vikings. Those issues were largely ignored this season because the team played winning football for the majority of the regular season.
When healthy, the Vikings have a pair of excellent tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill. Darrisaw went down midway through the season, and that hurt badly.
However, the interior linemen have multiple issues.
Garrett Bradbury has been an up-and-down performer at center for each of his six seasons in the NFL. Guards Blake Brandel and Dalton Risner are ordinary and their weaknesses show up any time they play a team with a strong interior rush. Count the Lions and Rams as two teams that fit that description.
Running back Aaron Jones understands that the Vikings had an opportunity and didn't finish what they surely had the ability to accomplish.
"There's just a lot of uncertainty," Jones said. "It just sucks because teams like this don't come often. Everybody has a sense that they let their brothers down, and we know things won't be the same."
A brilliant season has ended in heartbreak for the Vikings and their long-suffering fans. Once again.