The Minnesota Vikings had a mini bye week after a rough night on October 23, losing 37-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers on “Thursday Night Football” at SoFi Stadium.
There wasn’t much for Minnesota to take away in Week 8. The team must evaluate what went wrong and quickly move on from the blowout loss ahead of their Week 9 game against the Detroit Lions. After starting the 2025 NFL season at 3-2, the Vikings have dropped two straight to fall to 3-4.
While the focus is on the quarterback situation, especially now with Carson Wentz done for the 2025 NFL season, former Vikings defensive lineman Jared Allen believes how the Minnesota defense is performing is just as concerning.
“The offense has been putting up points,” Allen said on the October 27 edition of the “Up & Adams” show. “We weren’t really blown out until this Chargers game, but when I watched that game, the biggest thing I saw was a lack of tackling and guys not using their hands properly up front and catching blocks. And you know, for me, if you can’t stop the run, it’s simple, right? You have to stop the run.”
Are the Vikings in a Troubling QB Situation?
With Carson Wentz out for the season and uncertainty surrounding second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s return, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson believes Minnesota are in a troubling spot as they try to save their season and make a playoff push.
“I will say this: Kevin O’Connell is incredibly patient,” Wilson said on the October 27 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.” “He’s spoken on the record about giving young quarterbacks time. But if J.J.’s not healthy, he’s not healthy.
“And I do know that they like Max Brosmer a lot, the undrafted free agent out of Minnesota who had played previously at the University of New Hampshire. So, they have options. They are young options with very little experience. It’s a completely different ballgame than, say, Sam Darnold a year ago, who obviously had a ton of experience but wasn’t able to put it together until he arrived in Minnesota.
“I don’t want to say the Vikings are in a bad way, but they have some answers they need to find at the quarterback position now that Carson Wentz, who had been average at best but was sort of holding things together until J.J. got back, is now on IR, and his season appears to be over.”
Will the Vikings Make the Playoffs?
With McCarthy expected to return for the Lions game and the team sitting at 3-4, the big question is whether the Vikings can still make a playoff push following the Wentz injury. Wilson admitted he’s not confident about where things stand at the midpoint of the season.
“This ain’t where you want to be at the midway point of the season,” Wilson added. “No doubt about it. And again, last year this time, we were having conversations about Sam Darnold as the MVP, which is sort of funny to say, but he played that well. That team played that well.
“The other thing to keep in mind is that the Brian Flores defense hasn’t looked quite like the Brian Flores defense we saw a year ago. They’ve been exposed at times, most recently on Thursday night, where we saw the offensive line, which has also struggled with injuries. We saw Carson Wentz take another beating that led to him landing on IR.
“But you compound the issues with the offensive line struggling to stay healthy and then the defense not playing at the level that it played at a year ago. And you take that all together with a young and/or rookie quarterback, should Max Brosmer have to play. And this is where you find yourself, and there’s very little room for error.”
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