The Minnesota Vikings' trip to Seattle on Sunday was one they'd probably like to forget-and fast. In a game where almost nothing went right, the Vikings were blanked 26-0 by the Seahawks, and perhaps the most surprising part of it all? Justin Jefferson, one of the NFL’s premier wideouts, was practically a ghost.
Jefferson finished with just two catches for four yards. That’s not a typo.
Four. Total.
Yards. For a player of his caliber, that kind of stat line is almost unheard of.
And it wasn’t just the numbers that told the story-it was the body language. Cameras caught him on the bench early in the fourth quarter, looking dejected, disconnected, and clearly frustrated with how the day was unfolding.
After the game, Jefferson left the locker room without speaking to reporters-something he hadn’t done since 2022. That silence spoke volumes.
But it’s tough to blame him entirely. The Vikings' offense, led by quarterback Max Brosmer, struggled mightily from the jump.
Brosmer completed 19 passes but managed only 126 yards, threw four interceptions-including a brutal pick-six to Ernest Jones in the second quarter-and took four sacks. It was a rough outing for the rookie, and the Seahawks' defense made sure he felt every bit of it.
Tight end T.J. Hockenson was the lone bright spot on the offensive side, hauling in six catches for 59 yards.
Jordan Addison chipped in with five receptions for 36 yards, and Aaron Jones added 22 through the air. But Jones was bottled up on the ground, managing just three rushing yards-yes, three.
Minnesota’s run game as a whole didn’t fare much better. Jordan Mason led the way with 47 yards, while Zavier Scott added 17.
They combined for just two receptions totaling five yards. It was a flat performance across the board, and the Seahawks’ defense deserves credit for keeping the clamps on from start to finish.
On the other side, Seattle didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard with explosive plays, but they didn’t need to. Sam Darnold threw for 128 yards on 14 completions and was sacked four times, but he played mistake-free football and did enough to keep drives alive. That was more than enough for kicker Jason Myers, who knocked through four field goals to help build the cushion.
The real engine of Seattle’s offense was their ground game. Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet combined for 108 yards on 27 carries, with Charbonnet punching in the game’s only offensive touchdown. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective-and it wore down a Vikings defense that was on the field far too long.
This game was a stark reminder of how quickly things can unravel when the quarterback play is shaky and a team’s top playmaker is neutralized. For Minnesota, the focus now shifts to regrouping and figuring out how to get Jefferson back in rhythm-and how to protect their young quarterback from games like this spiraling out of control.
Because if Sunday showed us anything, it's that when Jefferson disappears, so does the Vikings' offensive identity.