DETROIT – Whoever told Sam Darnold to aim high should have chosen their words more carefully.
In one of the most dramatic disintegrations in the wretched big-game history of a seemingly cursed sports market, Darnold, on Sunday night, choked.
In the biggest game of his career, and perhaps the biggest game of the NFL season, the Vikings quarterback took a blowtorch to his own fairy tale manuscript.
With receivers running open, often in the end zone, Darnold looked like he was throwing balloons instead of darts.
A week after his teammates lifted and doused him with water in the locker room after beating the Packers, Darnold provided a reminder of why he was available to begin with, why he’s with his fourth team at the age of 27.
In the first half, Darnold missed star receiver Justin Jefferson in the end zone a few times. Even his first downfield completion to a receiver, which went to Jefferson to set up an unconsummated first-and-goal, was thrown high, forcing Jefferson to leap for the ball, perhaps costing him a chance to score.