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Sam Darnold and the Vikings had a historically bad sack problem on Monday night.
In their crushing 27-9 wild card round loss to the Rams, Darnold was sacked nine times, six of which came in the first half. And these weren't five-yard sacks, either. He lost a total of 82 yards to sacks, which is the most in NFL history in a playoff game. It surpasses the 76 yards Green Bay's Bart Starr lost to sacks against the Cowboys in the 1967 NFL championship game, also known as the Ice Bowl.
Most sack yardage lost in a playoff game:
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) January 14, 2025
82 — Sam Darnold, 1/13/2025 vs. Rams
76 — Bart Starr, 12/31/1967 vs. Cowboys
It's just the third time in the last 30 years that a team has lost even 60 yards to sacks in a playoff game. Joe Burrow and the Bengals lost 68 in a game (which they won) in the 2021 postseason, while Cam Newton and the Panthers did the same in Super Bowl 50 against the Broncos.
The Vikings had plenty of problems in this loss to the Rams in Arizona, but the sacks stand out as the most glaring issue. They absolutely derailed Minnesota's offense, almost always leading to punts — or worse. The Rams' fourth sack of the first half resulted in a fumble that Jared Verse ran back for a touchdown to make it a 17-3 game in the second quarter. Their sixth sack of the half came on a 4th and 2 at midfield, setting up a TD that made it 24-3 at halftime and pretty much buried Minnesota.
Not only did the sacks move the Vikings backwards, they did so at a rate of over nine yards per sack. That's because these weren't the kind of sacks where a defender wins quickly and takes down the quarterback in less than three seconds. These were long-developing sacks where Darnold held onto the ball too long while trying to make something happen. All six in the first half took at least 3.2 seconds, per Next Gen Stats, and four of them took at least 4.4 seconds. One of the three in the second half took nearly seven seconds between snap and sack.
The offensive line wasn't very good, but this mostly falls on Darnold. At any level of football, but especially in the NFL, quarterbacks have to have an internal clock and find a way to get rid of the ball when that ticks beyond roughly 2.5 seconds.
"It's up to me to be able to feel that (pressure) and either step up, move, go run for a first down, or just simply throw it away. I felt like there were a lot of sacks today that I was responsible for, where I was just holding onto the football and taking sacks where I could've either dirted it at someone's feet or just simply thrown it over someone's head."
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More must-reads:
- Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
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Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
Yankees add needed infielder in trade with Nationals
The New York Yankees had been on the search for a right-handed hitting infielder. They found their man late Saturday night. Jack Curry from YES Network reported that the Yankees acquired infielder Amed Rosario from the Nationals. In exchange, the Yankees are sending pitcher Clayton Beeter and minor league outfielder Browm Martinez to Washington. The Yankees had been looking for a right-handed hitting infielder in the wake of acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon on Friday. Rosario is exactly the type of player the Yankees had sought - a solid option capable of playing second and third. He had posted a .270/.310/.426 batting line in 158 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting five homers and eight doubles. Rosario's greatest attribute for the Yankees is his ability to hit left-handed pitching. He has a .299/.333/.483 batting line in 99 plate appearances against lefties this season, with three homers and seven doubles. He and McMahon should form a solid platoon at the hot corner in New York. However, the Yankees paid a steep price to bring Rosario on board for the next several months. Beeter had been ranked as the Yankees' 20th-best prospect per MLB.com, with his upper-90s fastball and wipeout slider both considered plus offerings. He has operated strictly as a reliever this season, where both his ability to miss bats and questionable command have been apparent. Martinez had been considered a player to watch heading into the season by FanGraphs, citing his solid contact rates and projectability. The 18-year-old is years away from making an impact, but has posted an impressive .404/.507/.632 batting line in 69 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League, hitting three homers and four doubles while stealing 13 bases. His ability to make contact has been impressive, as Martinez has drawn six walks with just eight strikeouts this season. A promotion stateside could be in the cards before the end of the year.
Brewers Predicted To Cut Ties With 3-Year MLB Veteran
The Milwaukee Brewers ashould be looking to add another big piece before August 1st gets here but that doesn't mean there are members currently with the franchise who won't be as well. The Athletic shared a column predicting one player from each team to be gone come August 1st and for Milwaukee, mentioned left-handed pitcher Bryan Hudson. "You may remember Hudson as the side-arming, soft-tossing lefty with a sub-1 ERA halfway through the 2024 season," The Athletic's Stephen J. Nesbitt said. "Indeed, same dude. But by last season’s end, Hudson had been sent to Triple A due to a velocity decline, and that’s where he’s spent most of this season, too. As the Brewers look to add at the trade deadline, surely they’ll hear from GMs of non-contending teams who want to toss Hudson into the return and think perhaps they can unlock his 2024 form." Hudson has pitched just 12 games at the big league level this season and has a 4.35 ERA to show for it. Last year, he had a 1.73 ERA in 43 outings for Milwaukee. In 2023, he made six appearances with the Los Angeles to kick off his big league career. Hudson is just 28 years old and hasn't putched in a big league game since May 12th. If the Brewers are going to move on from anyone, Hudson is someone who wouldn't impact the big league roster at least right now. We'll see what happens, though.
Important trade stalls as Maple Leafs dangle bottom-six forward
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still looking for a solution to their bottom-six surplus, and veteran forward Calle Jarnkrok remains at the center of trade discussions. However, according to The Fourth Period, trade talks surrounding the 33-year-old winger have failed to gain momentum. They write: “He has a $2.1M cap hit and owns a 10-team no-trade list. The market hasn’t been vibrant, to this point, but the Leafs will continue to dangle him.” Why can’t the Maple Leafs find a taker for Jarnkrok? Jarnkrok has quietly been on the trade block for much of the offseason, but general manager Brad Treliving has yet to find a taker. After adding several depth forwards this summer, the Leafs now face a crowded bottom six — and Jarnkrok’s age, injury history and $2.1M cap hit through 2025–26 aren’t helping his value. Since joining Toronto, Jarnkrok has appeared in only 71 games over two seasons, scoring a modest 28 points. While his defensive versatility and penalty-killing ability are assets, his declining offensive production and durability concerns have made teams wary. With training camp approaching, the Maple Leafs may be forced to keep Jarnkrok on the roster — or retain salary in a deal — if they want to create space and flexibility. Dropping his cap hit down to just over $1M would open up the market a little. Until then, the Swedish forward remains a trade candidate in limbo. This isn’t great news as moving Jarnkrok from the roster is an important item on the team’s to-do list. Treliving would like more cap space, and with Jarnkrok and David Kampf both still on the roster, it hampers the GM’s ability to do other things.
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