Problem was, those great plays from Darnold dissipated in each of the last two weeks.

Through the first 17 weeks of Darnold’s revitalization, he threw 35 touchdowns. Over the past two, he threw one.

Similarly, Darnold tallied a 106.4 passer rating from Weeks 1-17, and in the last two compiled a 66.4 rating.

O’Connell, appearing every bit the QB whisperer as he coaxed the very best from the 2018 NFL Draft’s No. 3 pick, remained supportive of Darnold’s continued maturation.

“Remember this guy is 27 years old or whatever he is,” O’Connell said. “I think he has a foundation now of both the things you do at quarterback position to have success and things sometimes you have to learn the hard way. You talk to some of the greatest players to play the game at the position. They all had learning moments throughout their journey. I think Sam will take a lot of positive out of this year. I think he’ll look like we all will very much inward. What’s the next step? What’s the next phase for him to find that consistency. I’m going to do the same thing.”

But will O’Connell and Darnold be aiming for that consistency together in 2025?

Following the quandary of how the Vikings’ sterling campaign so quickly fell to a calamitous end, the most prevailing question for the club is in the QB room.

Darnold was headed for a big payday in the offseason, whether the Vikings re-signed him, applied the franchise tag or he hit the open market. Now, Darnold’s stock has crashed emphatically in two games’ time.

“I’m not worried about that,” Darnold said of how the last two weeks will impact his future. “That’s in the past. Right now, I’m just thinking about, like I said, what I could have done better today and just spending time with the guys in the locker room. That’s really all, I’m focused on right now. At the end of the day in the NFL, you only get one season with one team with everyone together. Today wasn’t our day. It’s as simple as that. For me, I’m going to be focused on spending as much time I can with those guys in the locker room and then I’ll think about whatever the future holds after that.”

Minnesota’s season ended Monday with three first-round quarterbacks on its roster: Darnold (taken by the New York Jets in 2018); Daniel Jones (taken by the New York Giants in 2019) and J.J. McCarthy (taken by the Vikings in 2024).

Jones was the emergency third QB on Monday.

McCarthy is still coming back from knee surgery that ended his rookie season before it ever began.

Darnold, who struggled in his days with the Jets and then with the Carolina Panthers, showed enough promise as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers to get signed by the Vikings this past offseason as a potential bridge to McCarthy.

At this moment in time, it’s fair to say the Vikings have no set plan for their 2025 season Week 1 starting QB. Just as unsure as Darnold’s future is, it would seem so too is the Vikings’ in regard to the most important position in the game.

“I also want to say, I think it’s very important that we think about Sam’s body of work,” O’Connell said. “What he was able to do this year, when not many people thought he would be able to lead a team to 14 wins. Very rare for a quarterback in their first year. In fact, it is rare, most wins by a first-year quarterback with a team.”

What he’s done in the last two losses might well have sullied 14 wins’ worth of reclamation.

The offseason — which unfortunately for Minnesota began on Monday night — will answer that.