There is not an announcer in sports more passionate than longtime Minnesota Vikings radio voice Paul Allen. Unfortunately for him and for Vikings fans everywhere, that passion has come out for far too many defeats than victories when it matters most.
The latest loss in Vikings playoff lore came on Monday night when they went to Arizona and were blown out by the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 27-9. After a sparkling season where they were in contention for the NFC’s top seed until a final week loss to the Detroit Lions, it all came crashing down spectacularly as.
And nobody calls a spectacular crash quite like Paul Allen.
The clock struck midnight for Sam Darnold’s Cinderella run as he was sacked nine, yes, nine times in the contest. And many of those were instances where Darnold seemed to freeze in the pocket, incapable of letting the ball go.
One resulted in a Rams defensive touchdown from Jared Verse.
Sam Darnold is Strip Sacked for a Rams Touchdown,
Called by Paul Allen and Pete Bercich for KFXN in Minneapolis: pic.twitter.com/NbbrNx3KPd
— will: Riley Greene Truther (@wrhiv_72) January 14, 2025
When Darnold was sacked again just a minute later, Paul Allen had seen enough, erupting after Darnold’s fifth sack of the first half.
“HE’S HOLDING IT TOO LONG! THROW IT MAN!” -Paul Allen
Sam Darnold is sacked for the 5th time in 2 quarters
Called by Paul Allen and Pete Bercich for KFXN in Minneapolis: pic.twitter.com/YxtjXFcQ7e
— will: Riley Greene Truther (@wrhiv_72) January 14, 2025
By sack number seven and eight, the air of defeat had firmly sunk in with Allen and broadcast partner Pete Bercich expressing increasing disbelief over Darnold holding the ball in the pocket and repeatedly getting hit. As the game progressed and the Vikings appeared to throw in the towel, it even left the national team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman bemused on how easily they conceded defeat.
Sam Darnold’s 7th taken sack of the night,
Called by Paul Allen and Pete Bercich for KFXN in Minneapolis: pic.twitter.com/ZVvCuhW20X
— will: Riley Greene Truther (@wrhiv_72) January 14, 2025
Sam Darnold continues to be sacked, even in Garbage time,
Called by Paul Allen and Pete Bercich for KFXN in Minneapolis: pic.twitter.com/qHuURk8SNw
— will: Riley Greene Truther (@wrhiv_72) January 14, 2025
Incredibly, these calls don’t even come close to Allen’s most famous call in Arizona – that came years ago when a miracle pass by Josh McCown knocked the Vikings out of playoff contention in 2003.
One of these years, the Vikings will actually come through and we’ll get to hear Paul Allen deliver a championship call. But for now, this one will go down in the history books alongside his famous call of Brett Favre’s incomprehensible interception against the Saints and Blair Walsh’s missed field goal for famous Vikings playoff collapses.