Sam Darnold’s shaky finish shouldn’t ruin his impressive season or impact his future. Several NFL teams need a franchise quarterback and Darnold proved he can be that guy in Minnesota, becoming the first quarterback to record 14 wins in his first season with a team.

Sam Darnold threw for 245 yards, one touchdown, and an interception in the Vikings’ loss to the Rams on Monday Night. The last two weeks have been Darnold’s time to prove himself to the league and he blew it.

What a difference a couple of weeks make. 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 .