Vikings’ Next Opponent May Feature a Familiar Face at Quarterback
Just as the season was arriving, the Vikings opted to move on from Jaren Hall in favor of Brett Rypien. The sophomore passer then ventured west, picking up work with the Seattle Seahawks.
For the most part, Hall hasn’t played a major role in Seattle, but Geno Smith got hurt in the recent loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Athletic offers the update: “Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said his initial impression was that Smith did not sustain structural damage, but Smith will undergo testing on Monday to determine the extent of the injury and whether he’ll need to miss time.”
The Vikings, Jaren Hall, & The Week 16 Game
Right now, all of the focus is on the Bears for Monday Night Football. Keep in mind, though, that Minnesota will have a short week as they travel to Seattle for a tough road test in Week 16.
The same piece from The Athletic explains that Smith was forced out of the game in the 3rd and that “Smith attempted to limp off the field but fell to the ground in pain. On the sideline, he slammed his helmet in frustration.” Shortly thereafter, there was the mention of the QB coming back out to the sideline: “Smith returned to the Seahawks’ sideline before the end of the third quarter, sporting a heavy limp.”
The inability to go back into the game doesn’t bode well for Smith’s chance of being ready in time for the game against Minnesota in Week 16: “He sat with a heavy wrap on his knee in the fourth quarter and never returned to the game.”
Even worse, Smith’s replacement — Sam Howell — didn’t play particularly well: “The 24-year-old Howell finished 5-of-14 passing for 24 yards with no touchdowns and one interception as the Seahawks dropped to 8-6.”
Hop over to Seattle’s website and you’ll see that Howell is indeed the QB2 on the depth chart. Hall, presumably, is sitting at QB3.
Geno Smith has been leading the charge all season, doing just OK. The veteran has completed 69.9% of his passes for 3,623 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Obviously, the TD/INT ratio is less than pristine, but Seattle is better when Smith is under center.
At QB3 is Jaren Hall, someone whom Minnesota wanted to keep around Eagan. Moving on, though, always contained risk. In the end, Hall decided to move onto a different situation.
As a rookie, Hall actually had a chance to play a bit for the Vikings given the injury turmoil at quarterback. The start of the Atlanta game featured some promise but he needed to leave that game early due to injury. And then there was the disaster in Week 17 when the Packers visited U.S. Bank Stadium. The 5th-Round rookie shouldn’t have been put in that position; he was set up to fail.
Seattle has elevated Hall for a game, but it hasn’t been a common occurrence. The season has involved him being the QB3, a passer who lives on the practice squad. Keep in mind, as well, that John Rhys Plumlee is also on Seattle’s practice squad, so the option exists that Plumlee gets the nod to backup Howell, but that seems unlikely given that Hall has been there longer and has more experience.
If Smith can’t play and then Howell really struggles, it’s possible Jaren Hall gets a shot at his former team in Week 16. No doubt, it would make for some fascinating viewing.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.