Kevin O'Connell, the QB coaches and backups have Darnold playing at a high level. Can he bounce back from the Week 18 debacle in Detroit?

Seven days separated two visuals that could not have been more in contrast if you hung a portrait of Quasimodo next to the Mona Lisa. There was Sam Darnold, after defeating the Packers, hoisted atop teammates' shoulders,

After leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 27-25 win over the Green Bay Packers last week, Darnold was mobbed in the locker room by his teammates and lifted up onto their shoulders. The clip quickly went viral on social media as a sign of the support that Minneosta’s players have for their quarterback.

As the Vikings immediately started the process of turning the page following a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions, Kevin O’Connell made his way toward the 50-yard line to shake hands with his counterpart Dan Campbell.

The Detroit Lions defense held Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold to a 43.9% completion percentage and just 166 yards passing in a 31-9 win.

The Vikings opened this season predicted by both data and actual humans to finish with around seven victories. Even the more optimistic prognosticators looked at their roster and figured a 10-win year was about the ceiling of this team.