5 Quick Takeaways from the Vikings’ Week 13 Disaster
A punt festival early, the reunion with Sam Darnold turned into a disastrous blowout for the Minnesota Vikings. It was a rather embarrassing performance for Kevin O’Connell’s squad, which has already piled up too many of those this season.
5 Quick Takeaways from the Vikings’ Week 13 Disaster
The final score was 26-0 — Minnesota’s first shutout since 2007. Here’s what we learned.
1. Max Brosmer is not the answer.
Entering the game, Vikings fans had some hope that Max Brosmer could turn into the league’s new underdog story. Comparisons with Brock Purdy were everywhere. The undrafted rookie got his first start in place of concussed QB1 J.J. McCarthy, and he had a chance to change his career trajectory.
Well, he failed to do that and just looked like an undrafted rookie in his first career game. His final numbers: 19/30 for 126 yards and four interceptions. Brosmer took four sacks, and his pick-six pretty much put the game out of reach. At no point did it ever feel realistic that the Vikings could overcome a ten-point deficit with him in command of the offense.
The rookie was inaccurate, late to reads, and just overwhelmed by the situation. None of that should have been a surprise given that he went undrafted and was never supposed to see the field in his debut season.
That doesn’t mean Brosmer can’t become a reliable backup quarterback and have a long career, but he surely isn’t the long-term answer at quarterback.
2. The last six quarters have been embarrassing.
At halftime in Green Bay, the Vikings were down 10-6. They even produced a defensive stop to start the half, and Myles Price was awaiting the punt.
Since then, the Vikings have delivered one of the worst stretches imaginable. In those six quarters, the Vikings turned the ball over a whopping eight times. To make matters worse, they couldn’t score a single point in that span.
Being shut out in a game is already bad in the NFL. But failing to get on the board for six straight quarters is bad enough for the franchise to question whether the right people are leading the organization.
3. The defense showed up.
A 26-0 result looks terrible, but the defense played well, believe it or not. The Seahawks’ high-flying offense struggled to move the ball all day. Sam Darnold was uncomfortable, and the running game was held in check for the most part.
However, it was the same as it has been all year. The defense is playing well, but can only do so much before the game is out of reach. A pick-six and multiple bad field positions because of turnovers, as well as too much time of possession for the opponents, as their own offense can’t control the clock, is just a recipe for disaster.
The Seahawks had only 219 total yards.
4. Dallas Turner continues his hot streak.
Part of that defensive effort was outside linebacker Dallas Turner. He recorded a sack in his third consecutive game. He got to Darnold twice and even forced a fumble.
Turner was famous for sitting behind Pro Bowlers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard last season, but always showed some flashes in limited action. Recently, those flashes have translated to game-changing plays.
He’s still only 22 and has looked like a future cornerstone of Minnesota’s defense over the past few games.
5. The season is over.
The playoffs were a long shot entering the game, but the loss in Seattle was another nail in the coffin. It’s a lost season for the organization that had high hopes for this year’s group. The quarterback position is broken, but the mishaps don’t stop there.
The defense can’t generate turnovers, the offense (and the special teams) can’t stop losing the ball, and pretty much every unit is just swimming in flags.
There are five games left on the schedule, and then it’s time to fire some folks on every level — the front office, the coaching staff, and the roster. It’s been too poor a season to continue with the status quo.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.