Vikings Unravel in Seattle
Vikings Territory Breakdown
The Vikings travelled to Seattle to face the Seahawks and their 12th man on Sunday, and the result was so disastrous it looked as though Seattle had 13 or 14 players. The Seahawk defense overwhelmed the Vikings offense and its rookie Max Brosmer (in his first start as a pro) to the tune of four interceptions and a 26-0 beatdown. Brosmer, who had moments (not unlike his predecessor J.J. McCarthy), made his biggest mistake in the first half when he unleashed an ill-advised desperation throw as he was being sacked—which turned into a pick six that essentially gave the home team an insurmountable lead.
The difficult loss cannot all be laid at the feet (arm) of the former Golden Gopher quarterback: the offensive line did him no favors, giving up four sacks in protection and offering little in run blocking, needed to take pressure off the young signal caller. Furthermore, the receiving corps provided even less, dropping several passes, some of which lead to a five-turnover game that is nobody’s recipe for success.
The Vikings defense did their best to keep the Purple in the game, not surrendering a touchdown to Sam Darnold and the Seahawks offense until late in the game after the outcome was long determined. They sacked Darnold four times and held him to a line of 14 of 26 completions for 128 yards and no touchdowns. But turnovers leading to short fields and a nine-minute deficit in time of possession were too much to overcome.
The path forward is not clear at the moment, but hopefully J.J. McCarthy is clear of the concussion protocol and returns to the team next week, as we learned that Brosmer, like his predecessor, needs some seasoning at the position before he gets another start. The bottom line is that quarterback position for the Minnesota Vikings remains a work in progress and a continued talker. Therefore, the fellas at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast, Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are here to talk about it. Tune in and check it out. Skol!
