During the Minnesota Vikings' 27–25 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, coach Kevin O'Connell stopped to give Darnold a word of encouragement. Before relaying a play to his quarterback, O'Connell told him how great he was playing and how proud of him he was.

A week ago, the Packers defense pressured rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler into oblivion in a shutout 34-0 win. On Sunday in Minneapolis, the Packers defense got a big-time wakeup call from one of the NFL’s best passing games.

Never mind that the music blared in the locker room after the Vikings held on for a 27-25 win over the Green Bay Packers. The celebration couldn’t officially commence until quarterback Sam Darnold finished up a postgame interview with Fox analyst Tom Brady on the television broadcast.