Field Gulls
It feels weird when a Seattle Seahawks shutout victory is not the biggest news in Seahawksland, it really was a big day for the future of this season.
As Seattle dominated the lifeless Minnesota Vikings 26-0, they not only improved to 9-3, their best record this late into the season since starting 10-2 in 2019, but they are now tied for the best record in the NFC. We’ll talk more about why they’re tied later on, but first let’s talk about what we saw from the Seahawks on Sunday.
I legitimately feel bad for Max Brosmer. Like the cow that was dropped into the Raptor cage in Jurassic Park, Brosmer had no shot against the Seattle defense. Going 19 for 33 for a measly 126 yards, Max was sacked four times and threw four interceptions, including one of the most embarrassing pick-six’s you’ll ever see to Ernest Jones.
It was fitting on the first drive to see Leonard Williams absolutely demolish free agent miss Will Fries to get the first official sack (sorry Uchenna). That contract has been an absolute disaster so far, much like the Vikings season. Going 14-3 last season with a top ten MVP vote getter at QB with Sam Darnold, the Vikings made the decision to give the keys to JJ McCarthy and spend big in free agency. The consequences of these decisions could be the defining decision of the 2025 NFL season.
No, Sam Darnold didn’t destroy the Vikings and get the perfect revenge game, but he’s elevated this team’s floor and ceiling. The Seahawks are true championship contenders and Darnold is a massive reason why, and on a terrific team friendly contract.
In Minnesota, it legitimately looks like McCarthy can’t play, and we know Brosmer is probably not even backup QB worthy. The Vikings look old, bad, and expensive. Things could get ugly for the next two plus years for the Vikings, a team that was playing for the one seed in the final week of the season last year.
Like I said above, Sam didn’t get the chance to show off what Minnesota is missing, and that’s because of the struggles the offense faced on Sunday. Brian Flores, who probably deserves a second chance to lead an NFL franchise again, made life hell for Darnold and the Seahawks offensive line.
A man of his word from his comments about Sam earlier in the week, Flores threw the kitchen sink at Seattle, blitzing like crazy, and it worked. Throughout the afternoon, Darnold was harassed constantly, getting sacked four times, including a fumble lost. Going only 14/26 for 128 yards, it was one of the least impressive performances so far for Sam as a Seahawk.
I don’t think he necessarily played badly, as the pass protection was a real problem. For the third straight game, Darnold felt like he was under more consistent pressure and Klint Kubiak was...
