The Minnesota Vikings went to Seattle to take on their last season’s starting quarterback, Sam Darnold. After an offseason that has invited second-guessing, Darnold landed with the Seahawks while the Vikings have deployed J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and now Max Brosmer under center. The two situations couldn’t have turned out more differently, as punctuated by this grueling 26-0 Vikings loss.
The Minnesota offense started out with the ball, giving Brosmer the chance to show what he could do early. After a first down, the offense punted it away to the Seahawks. While Darnold and the Seahawks moved the chains, an Eric Wilson sack forced them to punt the ball.
Two swarming defenses led to a scoreless first quarter, with Seattle finally getting on the board with a field goal early in the second quarter. Dallas Turner’s strip sack gave Minnesota’s offense the ball in Seattle’s red zone. However, they squandered the chance. Brosmer threw a hideous pick-six that sent the Minnesota offense spiraling and was indicative of how the rest of the day would go.
The Seahawks’ offense was unable to find the end zone for the first three quarters, but that didn’t matter. The Vikings’ offense collapsed, failing to make any consistent progress and turning the ball over a whopping four more times, including three more interceptions from Brosmer.
Seattle kept string field goals together, which was more than enough, although they did finally score a touchdown late in the game when it was well out of hand and the Vikings’ offense looked entirely hopeless. Bonus number: It’s the first time in 294 games that the Vikings have been shut out, dating all the way back to 2008.
Here are five numbers to break down Minnesota’s brutal loss in Seattle.
8
After the Vikings ruled J.J. McCarthy out with a concussion, Max Brosmer became the eighth quarterback to start a game for Kevin O’Connell. Quarterback instability has plagued the O’Connell era in Minnesota. After Kirk Cousins’ Achilles tear in 2023, they have seen a revolving door at QB as one after another replacement makes a handful of starts, only to either get injured, benched, or move on.
Brosmer, the University of Minnesota Gophers’ starter last year, was already a fan favorite for his performance in the preseason, where he had outplayed projected second-string quarterback Sam Howell to earn a roster spot.
O’Connell and the other offensive coaches likely hoped that he wouldn’t have to see any action this season outside of blowout games. However, injuries to McCarthy and Carson Wentz have created a need for the rookie signal caller to step up in a game where the season hangs in the balance.
Minnesota’s season has gone as poorly as anyone could have expected in terms of injuries and performance at the quarterback position. Still, fans would be looking for any sort of bright side that Brosmer can produce and potentially create a Brock Purdy situation.
They had no such luck.
3
Some good news: Dallas Turner now has three straight games with a sack. While all eyes have been on Minnesota’s other 2024 first-round pick, Turner has put together an impressive sophomore season.
Last season, there was concern about the limited number of snaps Turner received. However, he’s had an uptick in usage this season because Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard have been injured. Turner has seemed to find his speciality in Minnesota’s deep pass-rush group.
Turner strip-sacked Darnold, beating left tackle Charles Cross with his speed and obliterating Darnold from the blindside. While the Seahawks jumped on the ball and retained possession, Turner’s rep was impressive nonetheless.
He had another strip sack when he got free on an inside rush. He sacked Darnold and forced another fumble that Jalen Redmond recovered, giving Brosmer and Co. the ball in the red zone.
Turner would also deflect a screen pass in the third quarter.
Though the Vikings have insisted that Turner is more versatile than just a pure pass rusher, he seems to have carved out a role as a speed rusher. While this season has had a myriad of issues, one of the few bright spots has been Turner’s development and his potential to continue growing beyond this season.
28
The Vikings recorded their first turnover in 28 days with Turner causing a strip sack, which Redmond recovered.
Last season, the Vikings’ ability to generate turnovers was impressive, recording one in every single game until the playoff showdown against the Los Angeles Rams. Their ability to win the turnover battle allowed the offense to make plays and capitalize on the momentum the defense provided. This season, they have had few opportunities to do so, recording just nine turnovers before this game, five of which came against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s the biggest complaint about a defense that has otherwise been exceptional.
While it looked like the Vikings were going to be able to make something happen, getting the ball in the red zone down just three points, they squandered this opportunity in the funniest possible fashion. Brosmer ended up in DeMarcus Lawrence’s grasp and tried to underhand the ball away. Ernest Jones picked off the ill-fated underhanded pass attempt and returned it for a touchdown to make it 10-0.
While the defense held up its end of the bargain, the offense’s inability to capitalize hurt them again in Seattle.
9
The Vikings have been held without a touchdown in the first half in nine of their games this season. (In fact, they haven’t scored a single point in the last six quarters.)
It feels like every week I update this stat, as the first-half offense seems to find new and innovative ways to fail to capitalize. While it is hard to expect an undrafted rookie free agent at quarterback to string together a long scoring drive against one of the best defenses in the NFL, he couldn’t have hoped for a better shot at getting a lead when the defense gifted him the ball deep in Seattle territory.
While I have covered that gaffe, it’s hard to truly do it justice with words.
Although the tendency is to blame the quarterback for the lack of offense in games like this, the playmakers around Brosmer offered little support.
Jordan Addison dropped another pass over the middle with open grass in front of him. Justin Jefferson also got his arms around a pass and was unable to haul it in. Although it was definitely behind him, it was a play that a player of Jefferson’s caliber should make.
The offensive line wasn’t much better for Brosmer. The left side was already without starters Donovan Jackson and Christian Darrisaw, and it showed as the pocket kept collapsing play after play, not allowing Brosmer to settle in and dissect the field.
Getting ahead of the game and scoring touchdowns in the first half is no longer a problem for the quarterback, but rather this offense as a whole. The offense finished with just 48 yards, their fewest in a first half this season.
4
Sunday was Minnesota’s fourth game with three or more giveaways this season. While getting takeaways has been a problem for this team, giving the ball away has been a bigger issue. This offense under each of the three quarterbacks has proven unable to take care of the football. This week, Brosmer threw four interceptions, and Aaron Jones fumbled.
Minnesota’s offense hasn’t been great and keeps finding new lows. Justin Jefferson didn’t catch a single pass until late in the third quarter, managing a reception for a four-yard loss on a screen where the Vikings offense generated a rare first down due to a Nick Emmanwori unnecessary roughness flag.
The day was so frustrating for Jefferson that the camera caught him sitting all alone on the Gatorade cooler after Brosmer’s third interception. While Jefferson has been as good a teammate as any player in the NFL, it is understandable why he would be so exasperated with the direction this offense and this season have taken.
We have all seen some bad games from Minnesota’s offense. Josh Freeman vs the Giants, Sean Manion against the Green Bay Packers, and Darnold against the Detroit Lions. Somehow, this season has felt like a never-ending version of those.
