It is hard to reconcile with the fact that just two months ago Derry were pushing Dublin and Kerry hard in the bookies' lists of favourites to claim Sam Maguire this summer.
After the controversial arrival of Mickey Harte as manager, Derry marched to their first league title in 16 years with a memorable victory over Dublin in April's final. Hopes were high that this would be the year that the county would kick on from their back-to-back All-Ireland semi-final defeats.
It's safe to say that their form since that league final win has been utterly dreadful.
Derry have lost all three of their championship games in 2024, suffering a shock exit to Jim McGuinness' Donegal in the quarter-finals of the Ulster championship.
Things have taken an even sharper downward turn since then, with Galway claiming a deserved win in the first round of the All-Ireland group phase against an unruly Derry in Pearse Stadium.
Sunday's 11-point annihilation at the hands of Armagh was the low point of an extraordinary fall from grace for Harte's Derry side. They now know they must beat Westmeath on June 15 if they are to stay in the championship, a remarkable contrast to where they stood in many people's eyes after the Allianz League.
Indiscipline has been a theme of this Derry collapse, with Gareth McKinless sent off against Galway and Ciaran McFaul sent off on Sunday against Armagh. Mayo legend Lee Keegan believes that this indiscipline could hint at bigger issues behind the scenes.
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Lee Keegan rips into Derry indiscipline during recent collapse
2 June 2024; Ciaran McFaul of Derry in action against Barry McCambridge of Armagh during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 2 match between Derry and Armagh at Celtic Park in Derry. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Writing in his weekly column for RTÉ Sport, Lee Keegan said that he "could not fathom" how quickly Derry's form had fallen off a cliff.
The 2016 Footballer of the Year said that Derry's refusal to give up on their tactical setup despite its obvious deficiencies was "kamikaze" stuff - before suggesting that it could hint at issues behind the scenes.
I can never remember such a dramatic fall from grace in such a short space of time as we've seen from Derry this season.
There's almost a humiliation factor to some of it.
Did the manner of the Donegal loss shatter their belief and confidence in their general approach? And now they're at sea as to how to react.
At this stage, one has to question whether there are internal issues in the dressing room. The streaks of ill-discipline we've seen feel like a telltale sign.
Who knows anymore? Westmeath will surely fancy their chances and what state will Derry turn up in. You certainly can't tip them with any confidence.
The sendings off of McFaul and McKinless are not the only signs of unrest among the Derry camp.
Even Conor Glass, seen as a frontrunner for Footballer of the Year earlier this year after leading Glen to All-Ireland glory and Derry to the league title, earned criticism for his petulant antics against Armagh on Sunday.
It's do or die for Derry next time out when they face Westmeath in Páirc Esler in Newry.
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