The lesson of the day is that when the Minnesota Vikings are involved, it can always get worse.
J.J. McCarthy had struggled so mightily over the past three weeks, culminating in last week’s lifeless 23-6 loss at Lambeau Field, that with McCarthy ruled out this week due to a concussion, it seemed like it would be hard for things to get worse with rookie Max Brosmer at quarterback.
But that’s exactly what happened on Sunday. Brosmer threw four interceptions in his first NFL start and the Vikings were shut out for the first time in 18 years, losing 26-0 to the Seahawks in Seattle. It’s the fourth consecutive loss for the reeling 4-8 Vikings — and their second straight nightmare day on the offensive side of the ball.
You have to go back to Nov. 11, 2007 to find the last time the Vikings were held without a point. That was a 34-0 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field.
On this day, Brosmer looked simply like an undrafted rookie going against one of the best defenses in the NFL. He had one of the worst rookie mistakes you’ll ever see on his underhand pick-six in the red zone late in the second quarter, and he threw three more interceptions in the second half. Brosmer’s final line was 19 completions on 30 passes for 126 yards and 4 picks.
Aaron Jones also lost a fumble for the Vikings, who turned it over a whopping five times. They lead the NFL by a decent margin with 26 giveaways this season. This was the Vikings’ first five-turnover day since December 2011.
Minnesota finished with 162 total yards of offense as their mess of a season sinks further and further.
The Vikings’ defense deserved better. They battled all day and held the Seahawks without an offensive touchdown until the fourth quarter. Brian Flores’ group had four sacks, including two strip-sacks by ascending second-year player Dallas Turner. Eric Wilson was all over the field. Sam Darnold was limited to 128 passing yards and no touchdowns against his old team. Seattle had just 219 total yards.
But it didn’t matter. The Seahawks’ first field goal midway through the second quarter was all the points they needed.
In a complete mess of a Vikings season, this was a new low point.
Game rewind
Brosmer was mostly fine early on. Will Fries was beaten for a sack on the Vikings’ first offensive possession. Jordan Addison had a tough drop on their second series.
Meanwhile, the defense came to play (although Isaiah Rodgers’ missed tackles were an issue). It was a 3-0 game late in the second half when Brosmer made a catastrophic mistake on 4th and 1 from the Seattle 4, resulting in an 85-yard pick-six the other way.
Seattle tacked on a field goal to take a 13-0 lead into the break. And in the second half, nothing went right for Minnesota, as turnovers continued to pile up.
The Vikings will look to snap out of this ugly rut next week at home against the Commanders.
