- Kickoff: 3:05 p.m. Sunday
- Where: Lumen Field, Seattle
- TV: Fox
- Radio: KFAN 100.3-FM; SiriusXM 387, 820 (Vikings), 227, 828 (Seahawks)
- Line: Seahawks by 11½
The Vikings are 4-7, heading to a building where they won last year for the first time since 2006. They’ll face their old quarterback (Sam Darnold) with their rookie backup (Max Brosmer), while the quarterback they planned to build around (J.J. McCarthy) will miss his sixth game of the year because of injury.
Here’s a look at the game as the Vikings make their seventh trip to Seattle in 14 years:
The biggest story line
Reunion with Darnold comes amid more QB uncertainty: McCarthy reported concussion symptoms as the Vikings were leaving Lambeau Field following their 23-6 loss to the Packers on Sunday, and while he’s been able to practice in limited fashion this week, Brosmer will make his first career start in Seattle. The Vikings will need significantly better offensive production than they got in Green Bay, when McCarthy was sacked five times and intercepted twice while throwing for 87 yards. Seattle, meanwhile, has scored the NFL’s third-most points after signing Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal. The Vikings’ former quarterback has a 106.2 passer rating, and leads the league with an average of 9.3 yards per attempt.
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Vikings offense vs. Seahawks defense
Seahawks generate pressure without blitzes: Seattle’s defense has the NFL’s eighth-highest pressure rate (24.8%), despite blitzing only 23.6% of the time. Coach Mike Macdonald’s defense relies on stunts that get defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II into the backfield, and creative pressure packages that have gotten home when the Seahawks do blitz. The Vikings will have Ryan Kelly at center again, but with Christian Darrisaw and Donovan Jackson nursing foot and ankle injuries, their offensive line will have a stressful task against Seattle’s defense in Lumen Field’s famously loud environment.
Run game could play a big role again: The Vikings leaned on the run in the first half against Green Bay in an effort to simplify things for McCarthy, until Myles Price’s third-quarter fumble helped the Packers go up 11 points and led the Vikings to run just three more times the rest of the day. They’ll need big contributions from Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason again, though a Seahawks defense that’s allowed just 3.8 yards per attempt could make that difficult.
Vikings defense vs. Seahawks offense
Flores will blitz Darnold plenty: Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores said this on Tuesday about Darnold: “We had a great rapport, friendship. I’m happy for him, but we will blitz him this week, that’s for sure.” The Vikings should know how to rattle Darnold, having practiced against him in training camp and throughout the season last year, and they saw their 14-3 season end in two games where pressure — especially the Rams’ interior pass rush in the playoffs — affected Darnold significantly. Expect the Vikings to come after Darnold early and often. Their defensive tackles could have favorable matchups against the middle of the Seahawks’ line, including North Dakota State product Grey Zabel (whom Seattle drafted in the first round). Jalen Redmond has played well, but the Vikings need big contributions from Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.
Smith-Njigba on an All-Pro path: Last year, Darnold threw to Justin Jefferson on the way to the receiver’s All-Pro season. This season, third-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba figures to claim plenty of postseason honors. He leads the NFL with 1,313 yards through 11 games, having caught 80 passes while averaging an NFL-best 12.3 yards per target. It’s where blitzing Darnold and forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly becomes even more important; the quarterback will try to test the Vikings’ secondary downfield with Smith-Njigba if he gets time to work.
