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.

The Minnesota Vikings have been urged to walk away from quarterback Sam Darnold and move onto rookie J.J. McCarthy.

Having significantly increased his value across the NFL this season, Sam Darnold's future with the Minnesota Vikings will be one of the key questions