Carson Wentz finished 8-of-25 for 81 yards and two interceptions on Monday night, a 2.3 QBR that ESPN says is the lowest of any quarterback this season. He also had a third pass dropped. His off-target rate was 38%, the worst number any passer has posted in a game this year.
That is the line everyone will quote. It is also the least interesting part of the 23-6 loss to Buffalo.
https://x.com/MattVerderame/status/2119997316107235626
Why did Kevin O’Connell wait so long on Max Brosmer?
Backup Max Brosmer did not enter until the final four minutes, when the Vikings were already down 23-6. Fans booed Wentz through the night and then cheered Brosmer’s first two completions, and Joe Buck relayed the crowd’s question after one of them: why now?
O’Connell had an answer ready, and it did not help him. He said afterward that he “should have run the football more.” That is a coach describing a plan he abandoned while it was still available. Wentz started because Kyler Murray is out with a strained hamstring, so everyone in the building knew what the offense had at quarterback. The offense went nowhere for three quarters and the lineup stayed the same.
I don’t buy patience as the explanation. Nine first downs, two of them from the backup, is not a performance that earns three and a half quarters of runway.
https://x.com/ProFootballTalk/status/2119997446063636929
What does the loss say about Minnesota’s offense?
Minnesota is now the first team since 1925 to reach six wins with at least three games without a touchdown in its first eight, according to ESPN’s research. Set that beside the 6-0 start that already had people squinting at the touchdown count, and Monday reads as the bill arriving.
The strongest objection is fair: Wentz was bad, and no play-calling fixes 38% off-target throws. True. But a bad quarterback is a known variable. The choice to keep sending him out there was O’Connell’s, and the admission afterward that the run game deserved more work came after the game was gone.
Then came the trade question. With the deadline set for Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, O’Connell said the team has “had dialogue about a lot of different positions” and passed the specifics to general manager Nolan Teasley. Fine. A GM can speak for the market. Only the coach can explain why the game was allowed to get to 23-6 first.
Minnesota is 6-2 with two straight losses. The deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and the explanation for Monday is overdue.
