"It gave me troubles" - Sam Darnold blames himself for ex-team Vikings' shocking playoff loss to the Rams

Sam Darnold was the Minnesota Vikings' QB1 last season and completely revived his career in only one year with the franchise. Following that impressive 14-3 campaign, Darnold has joined Seattle on a three-year, $105.5 million deal.

However, any season that ends without a Super Bowl win can be labeled a disappointment. With the Vikings' talent, there were questions asked after Minnesota's playoff defeat against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round.

While speaking to Mike Silver of The Athletic on Thursday, Darnold said that he believes he did not play to his standards in the 27-9 defeat.

"I feel like I could have played way better, to be completely honest with you. I feel I didn’t play up to my standard. I truly feel that way. I feel like if I would have just played better, I would’ve been able to give the team a chance... [The Rams] played man and tried to play some ‘robber’ stuff, and that just gave us some troubles. It gave me some troubles, personally.”

He then went on to credit his former teammates for their performances and opened up about what he'd like to improve upon:

“[Kevin O’Connell] and those guys in Minnesota did such a good job, and we do a great job here as well, of giving me answers if they take options away. Like, just go through your progressions and work your feet, and if it’s not there, take off and run, because there’s no one accounting for the quarterback, unless they play a spy or whatever.”

Seattle Seahawks' GM John Schneider on Sam Darnold's suitability

After his one-year run with the Minnesota Vikings, Sam Darnold has signed a deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Darnold was being looked at by multiple franchises, but Seahawks GM John Schneider managed to finalize the deal.

He discussed the signing and also Darnold's suitability while speaking on the "3 & Out" podcast on Wednesday:

"Sam, (Vikings head coach) Kevin O'Connell, you know, professional friend of mine. You know, Ryan Grigson is there now too in Minnesota. Rob Brzezinski, you're relying on your contacts and like the characters, the leader, everybody that's coached him over the years, and then watching his (Sam Darnold's) progression and watching him improve.

"Yeah, that's where we've made some of our biggest mistakes. It's just not taking as much time as we possibly should with all the contacts that we have, right? So have we covered all of our bases, and have we checked all the boxes? And making sure that we're signing the appropriate person for our building."

The Seahawks are looking for their first playoff win since the 2019 season, and it will be interesting to see if Sam Darnold can be their long-term solution under center.