SEATTLE vs MINNESOTA
SEAHAWKS WIN 26 – 0
- Story of the Game – The Vikings QB Woes Continue Through Darnold’s Revenge Game
While Sam Darnold may not have had a great showing against his former team it was far better than what Minnesota was dealing with as they started rookie Max Brosmer in place of JJ McCarthy who was out due to concussion protocol. Both teams came into this game prepared for a defensive battle and that’s exactly what it turned out to be. Minnesota threw every front and disguised look they could at Darnold and this Seahawks offense which paid off as they took away the big play opportunities this Seattle offense has relied upon all year. Along with taking away the big plays they did everything in their power to move Darnold off his spots with stunts and well disguised and timed blitzes paired with a ton of attention put towards Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who they held to 2 catches for 23yds. The Seahawks matched the Vikings defensive success as they continually owned the LOS against the Vikings offense collapsing pockets on their young QB and taking away any chance at helping him out with a run game. Brosmer early on looked panicked but found his way to his check downs which Seattle adjusted quickly as they dared him to make throws down the field especially across the middle. With the great defensive performances this game both offenses were up and down but Seattle was able to create enough success in the run game to move the ball and find ways to score while Minnesota fell completely flat and looked even worse with Brosmer at QB than they have with McCarthy. Granted Brosmer had his first NFL start against one of the best defenses in the league but it doesn’t excuse some of the mistakes that were made.
- Key Notes for the Seahawks
Sam Darnold didn’t have his best game as a Seahawk but the fact he didn’t put the ball in harms way despite being under pressure all game as the Vikings threw stunt and disguised looks at their OL was refreshing. So while Darnold had his struggles this game I believe it may speak just as much to the lack of weapons in the passing attack with exciting rookie WR Tory Horton being out of their lineup. The trade for Rasheed Shaheed hasn’t been as seamless as I thought and it’s clear if teams throw enough attention at Jaxon Smith-Njigba that this team lacks anyone else to really step up to be a consistent target throughout a game. They have a ton of complimentary options but someone has to take step to be a more steady presence along side JSN.
The Seattle defense continues to prove they’re one of the best defenses in the league. They have a multitude of guys along the DL that can and will wreck games along with a LB group and secondary that is tied together on a string in coverage. They swarm to the ball and are incredibly opportunistic when there’s any shot at making a play on it, which they did multiple times this game as they wracked up 4 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. They have talent all over the field and they a HC/defensive mind that knows how to maximize it which shows up every week as they continue to give every offense trouble… possibly none more than this Vikings team that looked completely stumped against this defense.
Time was oddly mismanaged by HC Mike McDonald towards the end of the 1st half and the game plan in the 2nd half was very conservative but I can’t say that it’s that concerning to me. I view this very similarly to when the Green Bay Packers played Minnesota last week where you saw an ultra conservative approach from Matt LaFleur as they knew Minnesota had nothing on offense. While that doesn’t excuse the odd management of the clock and his timeouts towards the end of the half I do believe it would have been handled differently against a more competent team.
- Key Notes for the Vikings
The Vikings QB issues have been well documented and those very same issues transferred over to the UDFA rookie Max Brosmer. Brosmer couldn’t operate on time or within rhythm of the offense with any sort of regularity which led to the Vikings offense having to manufacture yards with passes around the LOS. The problem with that was the Seahawks started to adjust to this and really committed to playing aggressive on the backend and daring Brosmer to push the ball down the field which he was unable to do. You pair the inability to throw the ball any further than 5yds past the LOS with the Vikings up and down run game and you have a recipe for disaster. Along with all of the issues with the passing game the biggest issue was the turnovers. Brosmer put the ball in harms way including one interception where he pitched the ball while being sacked on 4th & 1 in the red zone that led to a pick six for Seattle but in all fairness not every turnover was on him. The receivers struggled with drops, they lost a fumble on a short pass to RB Aaron Jones, and the OL was up and down all game once again.
The Vikings defense continues to do their best to keep this team competitive as DC Brian Flores cooks up unique looks to create pressure and always game plans to frustrate and take away an opposing offenses strengths but it’s still not enough. While they haven’t created as many turnovers as last year they still find ways to create negative plays and get the ball back to their offense with plus field possession but it’s still not enough. I don’t believe you can ask much more of this group outside of scoring TDs and putting points on the board themselves but those opportunities are few and far between in the NFL and to expect your defense to do so is unacceptable. This group has done more than enough and are being wasted by an abysmal offense.
- Standout Performers
SEA
Zach Charbonnet – 14/52 1 TD
Kenneth Walker III – 13/56 – 3/18 rec
- Didn’t have a huge day but broke off their one explosive and was a steady force to their offense
AJ Barner – 4/35 – 1/2 rush
- Barner continues to be a steady presence in the passing game and despite him not being a big play threat he gives Darnold a steady pair of hands outside of JSN + A huge advantage in the QB sneak game
Ernest Jone IV – 12 Tackles (7 Solo) 2 INTs (1 TD) 2 PBUs
- Was all over the field and constantly near the ball which led to him having 2 INTs
Byron Murphy II – 3 Tackles 1 Sack 1 TFL
- Doesn’t put up huge numbers but wrecks games in the middle of this defense in both run and pass
Demarcus Lawrence – 2 Tackles 1 Sack 1 TFL 1 FF
- Turned back the clock and wrecked the LOS including a great effort play to force a fumble while pursuing after a chip block
Drake Thomas – 5 Tackles (2 Solo) .5 Sack 1 TFL
MIN
Jordan Mason – 6/47
- The best RB in that backfield in my opinion and continues to be one of the few constants for this side of the ball
TJ Hockenson – 6/59
- Was the only consistent receiving threat all game for Minnesota with the poor QB play
Eric Wilson – 11 Tackles (8 Solo) 1 Sack 4 TFLs
- Continues his rise from core special teams player to a quality starter
Dallas Turner – 5 Tackles (4 Solo) 2 Sacks 2 TFLs 2 FFs 1 PD
- Not many bright spots from GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft classes but Turner has developed into a very impactful edge player this season and flashed that talent this week especially
Andrew Van Ginkel – 5 Tackles (3 Solo) 1 Sack 1 TFL
Joshua Metellus – 4 Tackles (2 Solo) 2 PBUs
