The Minnesota Vikings went from a Super Bowl contending, 14-game winner playing for the NFC North title with the conference's No. 1 seed and a wild-card bye on the line -- before Week 18's 31-9 defeat by the Detroit Lions -- to an early playoff exit because of a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Minnesota Vikings' loss to the Los Angeles Rams in their NFL showdown sparked intense criticism of quarterback Sam Darnold. In response, a former Vikings quarterback offered a sharp rebuttal to the backlash.