The Vikings’ disappointment in the wild-card round Monday night seemed to be felt viscerally in the team’s voice.
Paul Allen, the team’s iconic radio voice on KFXN, captured every emotion of the 27-9 loss in which quarterback Sam Darnold was sacked nine times for 82 yards. I felt it.
Allen, who has been a radio voice since 2002, is remembered for Brett Favre’s second-half interception in the 2010 NFC title game and Blair Walsh’s missed chip shot field goal in the 2016 NFC title game. Cole and others have never been shy about expressing their frustration, anger, and disappointment over the years. In the wild card round, then-Cardinals quarterback and now Vikings QB coach Josh McCown eliminated Minnesota in the final seconds of the final regular-season game in 2003.
And on Monday night, Darnold was at the center of Allen’s latest conference call.
With less than four minutes left in the second quarter and the Vikings already down 17-3, Darnold grabbed the ball while dancing around the pocket, hoping someone would clear him downfield. did.
But that didn’t happen, and Darnold was ultimately fired.
Allen was less pleased.
“He’s holding back too much! Throw it, dude!” Allen said incredulously. “He got sacked for the fifth time at the 25-yard line.
It was the story of the game for Darnold, who was sacked six times at least 4.4 seconds after the snap, according to Next Gen Stats.
At halftime, Allen shared his thoughts on the X, which he called a “drunken” game.
“This game is drunk. A stupid call by Hussey’s team nullified Cashman’s scoop and score, the Rams roughed Ryan Wright on a punt, got free on Minnesota for a first down, then Sam got a pick. I threw it,” Allen wrote. “It’s 10-3 Rams in the second quarter.”
By the time Darnold was sacked for the ninth time late in the fourth quarter and the game was out of reach, the calls in the radio booth had died down considerably, and the Vikings’ fate was all but sealed at that point.
Darnold, who is heading to free agency, acknowledged the “mistake” after the game, and head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters there were multiple moments in which the signal-caller held the ball for long periods of time and did not help the team. Ta. .
“That’s when you have the ball and your reaction is going to make a play. We can’t talk about it behind our backs because he’s made so many plays this year — but that’s also part of his development. I think that’s part of it,” the coach said.
