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.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold was on his way to a big payday this offseason. But two bad games may have cost him his job — and millions.

The nine sacks resulted in 82 lost yards, which is now the most in a single game in the NFL playoffs during the Super Bowl era, according to Josh Dubow of The Associated Press. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow previously held the record with the 68 yards lost from sacks during the 2021 divisional round.