Sam Darnold had a no good, very bad night on Monday as the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round. Darnold finished with 245 yards, one touchdown, one interception and was sacked nine times. One of those sacks resulted in a fumlble that was returned for a touchdown.
While most people are focusing on Darnold today, ESPN's Dan Orlovsky made the case that you can't just blame the quarterback on First Take, telling Stephen A. Smith he was out of his mind for thinking that loss was because of Darnold.
"You think last night's about Sam Darnold? You're out of your mind." 😳 @danorlovsky7 tells @stephenasmith that Sam Darnold is "4th or 5th" on the list of reasons that the Vikings lost to the Rams in the Wild Card 👀 pic.twitter.com/Oc5hvaPee3
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 14, 2025
"This is where we just look at football very differently," said Orlovsky. "And this is where I get really frustrated with you. You have to be, you're so smart and you watch so much. You gotta get past the He lost, quarterback stunk. He won, quarterback was great. Last night, Stephen A., I would put Sam Darnold at fourth or fifth when it comes to reasons why that game went the way that it went.
Orlovsky's top reasons the Vikings lost? Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula replicating Aaron Glenn's gameplan, the Vikings offensive line playing so horribly against the best young defensive line in the NFL, and Kevin O'Connell getting out-coached.
Someone send this clip to Sam Darnold's agent.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dan Orlovsky, Frustrated With Stephen A. Smith, Sticks Up for Sam Darnold.
