There are things that the NFL media world does to hype up games that I think land firmly within the realms of ridiculous. The “revenge games” designated for discarded starting quarterbacks are a prime example.

Despite a really good breakthrough season last year, Sam Darnold was likely never going to be in the long term plans for the Minnesota Vikings. Not when they spent a top ten pick on JJ McCarthy after they signed him to a meager one year contract in free agency back in 2024. Perhaps they shoulda used the franchise tag on him for 2025, though, given how this year has gone for the Vikes, and McCarthy, but that is a whole other subject to consider, and waste time writing about.

The Seattle Seahawks took advantage of Darnold breaking out in Minnie last year as soon as they saw that he wasn’t going to get the franchise tag. I will never believe that trading 35 year old Geno Smith to the Raiders would have ever happened had they not seen the opportunity to get six years younger at quarterback for a player that was seen as comparable, at worst, and possibly even an upgrade, at best.

And for those who like to keep taps on Sam in Seattle, and Geno in Vegas, the Seattle Seahawks have very clearly won that slight gamble at quarterback. You can say what you want about Darnold’s performance against his former team yesterday, but he did not throw the five interceptions that Geno just did in a brutal loss against the Chargers.

So, that said, to get back onto my original point, I never really viewed this game at Lumen Field against the Vikings as Sam’s Revenge Game as others would label it. The Vikings had to see what they had in McCarthy, and Sam needed long term commitment from a franchise. I always viewed his move out of Minnie to the PNW as a very win win thing for him and his former club.

Another narrative that was pumped all throughout the NFL, the Vikings, and even the Seahawks media world last week was this idea that the Minnesota Vikings might have found their “Brock Purdy” in undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer, who was going to make his first NFL start in place of concussed McCarthy. The truth of the matter is that media types were probably searching for ways to hype up what was set to be a very lopsided game in Seattle, and they saw an opportunity to pounce on some positive vibes the Minnesota coaches had on Brosmer during the preseason, and such. However, the levels that it was taken to all this past week was ridiculous, to say the least, though.

All last week, on various podcasts, on airwaves, and written throughout the press, there was this noise coming out of Minnie that Brosmer was this potential hidden gem as an intelligent, accurate, quick processor at quarterback and the Viking coaches felt great about his potential. Some were even trumpeting this match as a potential trap for the Seahawks with the Vikings knowing how to get to Darnold, and the Seahawks not knowing enough about Brosmer.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic was quick to cite quotes from scouts and coaches who were comparing Brosmer to Purdy. Hey, gotten get out on top of the news cycle in the slim chance Brosmer actually steps out onto Lumen Field and punks on of the best NFL defenses on the planet in Seattle on Sunday, amiright?

Even more outlandish, Steve Mariucci went onto the NFL Network and recklessly predicted that Brosmer would throw for a whopping 485 yards against the same Seahawks defense that gave all world Matt Stafford fits two weeks ago. Frankly, I don’t know what I am more offended with, the absurdity to pump up Brosmer to poor destitute Viking fans, but the total disregard for Seattle’s stellar defense. There was no F’ing way this poor kid was going to have this sort of game in Seattle. No F’ing way. What total utter horse crap.

Here are the stat lines for the “Minnesota Purdy” yesterday. He 19 of 30 passing attempts for 126 yards, no touchdowns, and he lofted up 4 interceptions, and was sacked 4 times by Seattle Seahawk defenders. His passer rating in his first NFL start was a whopping 32.8. JJ McCarthy may not ever be the answer at QB for the Vikings, but I am here to break anyone’s bubble who needs it that Max Brosmer very likely is not the answer, either.

While Darnold, himself, didn’t have a stellar outing, the truth of the matter is that he didn’t need to have one, he just had to game manage effectively enough against a talented defense, and he did just that. Some folks will criticize Darnold for struggling against the blitz pressure sent at him, but for the most part, I thought he handled it well enough, especially with the adjustment’s Klint Kubiak made in the second half of the game. My impression on the early sacks, including the sack fumble, is that the blockers in front of him were not handling it well, and some of the play calling wasn’t perhaps, either, but by the second half, everyone settled in better.

Sometimes, this is why you pay the big bucks to a mature, capable, veteran NFL quarterback. You expect him to understand the type of game that he is going to be in for, and if he has to game manage against a very tough defense, knowing that his defense is going to have a day against an inexperienced rookie QB, then you expect him to manage it well. Sam did just that, and Mike Macdonald said as much post game.

It was painfully obvious for the opening two offensive series that this was going to be a day of potentially an epic defensive battle. The game very clear from the onset after kickoff that it was going to be that type of game.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores calls the same level of defense in Minnesota that he did in New England when the Patriots punked the LA Rams and Jared Goff in a Super Bowl matchup a number of years ago. He calls fronts that make it tough to run on, and he loves to send blitz pressures early and often on quarterbacks. In the world of NFL defensive schemes and coordinators, he is his own unique beast to deal with as a defensive mind.

In fact, if I am the owner of the Vegas Raiders and I want to make my star pas rusher Maxx Crosby very happy, I am seriously considering making a move in 2026 to make Flores my next head coach over 74 year old Pete Carroll. Flores got a bum deal when he was head coach of the Dolphins, and if any defensive mind out there needs another shot at being a head coach again, it is this guy. If I need to restart a franchise from the ground up, I am definitely looking at him over a hall of fame level guy in his mid seventies.

Sam Darnold knew what was coming with Flores, and he knew he had to give up his impulses to play hero ball against it. For the most part, he did just that.

Brosmer, on the other hand, is an undrafted quarterback for a reason, and again, it was utterly ridiculous for NFL media minds to build him up the way they did. He stood absolutely no chance against a dominant Seattle Seahawk defense, and the times he tried to for big plays downfield were brutal for any Vikings fan to watch.

Here is the very easy storyline of this football game. The Vikings defense absolutely played its ass off, but the Seahawks defense played better, and the Vikings quarterback played significantly worse than the Seahawk QB did. This was the game in a nutshell.

It was total lopsided domination led primarily by the kick ass Seattle Seahawk defense that can send pass rushers in waves, dial key blitzes against the pass and run in ways that can be overwhelmingly successful, and they have linebackers, safeties, and corners who are all really, really good in coverage. They are a year and a half into Mike Macdonald’s unique 4-2-5 defense, and they are absolutely humming now. This would have been a tough matchup for a lot of experienced NFL QBs, let along an undrafted rookie.

The Seattle Seahawks beat down the Vikings 0-26 because their greatness on defense matched against a massive disadvantage Minnesota had at quarterback. Any team that has concerns at quarterback probably doesn’t stand much of a chance against Seattle’s pass rush, and coverage. It’s too bleeping kick ass to match up against it.

If I am Kirk Cousins in Atlanta studying the Seahawks defense this morning, I am seriously considering pulling a Caddyshack Rodney Dangerfield “oh, my arm, may arm” stunt to get out of playing them next Sunday.

But that is neither here, nor there in terms of yet another beat down win the Seahawks put on an inferior opponent yesterday against the Viking.

The heroes of this game are the entire Seattle Seahawk defense led by bad ass middle linebacker and heart and soul team leader Ernest Jones with two interceptions and a pick six, the badass defensive tackle duo of Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy, and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, especially. D Law had a game as a pass rusher and run stuffer that felt, single handily, game wrecking for the overmatched Vikes who were trying to give it their all in this one.

As it stands now, the Seahawks hold a 9-3 record, tied with the Rams for first place in the division. They are beating all the teams on their record that they should beat, thus far. This is the sign of a very good football team, and there is nothing to think that this won’t continue through the rest of their five games on the year.

They are also winning games with perhaps now the very best defense in the league. In truth, this is how I vastly prefer my team to win ballgames. I am not a fantasy guy. I don’t care about the stats my star receiver gets on my team, or running back. While it is fun to see my starting QB put up gaudy numbers whenever it happens, I don’t need it. I want to see the defense of the team I root for wreck games and players of the opposition, and the Seahawk defenders do just that.

This game against the Vikings, a shutout loss that Minnesota has not felt in two decades of football, should be a message to all teams the Seahawks face on their remaining schedule as they aim for the playoffs. Fear them. Be afraid.

They are coming for you. They are dialed into a complex playbook, they play fast, furious, and various. They hit, cover, and tackle, and they know how to pass rush.. a lot.

I also like how complimentary the offense is becoming in finding more success with their run game. As this game against a very strong Vikings defense went on, quietly the Seahawks offense had another positive day running the rock, and this is now our games in a row that the Seahawks have ran pretty well.

Great defense paired with a dependable run game is exactly what you want to see out of your team as it gets into December, and aims for the playoffs. For all the style points that Jaxon Smith Njigba gets as a pass catcher in this offense, and Darnold often gets throwing the rock, it is good to know that this team is looking more built to win defensive battles whenever needed.

I like that a lot. I will take that. If you are a fan of the Seattle Seahawks, you should be pretty darn happy to see this level of football materializing before your eyes.

Go Hawks.