John FraleyMon, December 1, 2025 at 4:48 AM UTC·10 min readA) Last year’s Minnesota Vikings quarterback is now with the Seattle Seahawks.
B) We know revenge games are real.
C) Seattle is currently good and Minnesota is, well, not.
Ergo, when they faced off in Week 13, Sam Darnold would eat like it was Hours 69-72 of Thanksgiving while the Vikings chewed on their offseason decisions. And, if you look at the score only, the spurned QB did get the last word… without delivering it himself. Darnold accounted for no touchdowns, but then again neither did the Vikings, Ernest Jones outscored them both by himself, another fourth quarter was reduced to 15 minutes of garbage time, and the Seahawks moved to 9-3.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOh yeah, ‘twas a shutout too, a 26-0 disassembly disguised as a game. No secret: this game was strictly about the defense, which played like eleven lit sticks of dynamite to Max Brosmer’s Wile E. Coyote. Unlike so many other cartoonish backup quarterbacks before him who managed to roadrunner their way through the fake tunnel painted on the end zone, the Vikings emergency signalcaller hit his head, saw stars, watched a giant lump rise from his forehead, and flew home wondering how the heck it all went wrong.
Four interceptions, a fumble recovery and a turnover on downs. 162 yards of offense, 11 first downs on 13 drives (!), four sacks, 2.8 yards per attempt . The Vikings guided five drives into Seahawks territory. All five times the possession ended in a giveaway. None bigger than when Ernest Jones right-place-right-timed himself into six points.
Hold up, though. There is no Jones pick-six without DeMarcus Lawrence, who provided the pressure as part of his usual (!) monster day at the forefront of the defense. And there is no fourth and 1 to even speak of without Josh Jobe’s clean sideline tackle of Jordan Addision juuuuuuuuust short of the sticks a play earlier.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe whole defense engulfed Brosmer, Addison, Justin Jefferson and every other Viking from whistle to whistle. Byron Murphy wasn’t stoppable. Drake Thomas chipped in a half-sack. Jobe erased Jefferson and created one of Jones’ interceptions. Tariq Woolen stepped in front of an in-breaking route and definitely held on to the ball, I’m offended you believe he fumbled while trying to take it back to the house, why that doesn’t sound like him at all. For shame, dear reader, for shame. How can you hate a guy who laps the field on an interception return?
So this game isn’t about the quarterback, the star receiver, the stud running back. It’s an unabashed ode to the entire defense on a day they deserve every tulip in Mount Vernon. (Okay, let us quietly raise a glass to Jason Myers too, who methodically pushed the Vikings’ door to victory closed with each three-pointer he calmly knocked through the uprights.)
The scoreless opening quarter — third one this year for Seattle — featured two near-interceptions, zero explosives, and a whole lot of pressure on Sam Darnold. No turnovers felt like a win in and of itself. Meanwhile, Brosmer showed no flashes; there were definitely completions to be made early on against a non-sticky secondary but it took him a quarter of play to settle down and locate his targets. It’s just too bad for him they were all wearing sumptuous Seahawks throwback jerseys.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCooper Kupp’s second catch of the day to open the second period also set up Seattle’s first favorable down and distance in some time — second and four in Minnesota territory. Darnold chose that moment to succumb to pressure, coughing up a fumble that Kupp was alert enough to pounce on in a sea of purple. Facing third and 11, who else but Cody White to the rescue, amiright? He hauled in a dart down the middle for 12 of his own yards and got nine (more) with a little help from his friends. Successive seven-yarders out of Zach Charbonnet placed Seattle in the red zone, where they nibbled and nibbled until a sack forced Jason Myers out there for the game’s first points.
Just as frustrating to see the drive stall inside the ten without a single target going the way of Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the second sack taken by Darnold. He’d come in with only 11 on the season. However, balancing out the disappointment, it was weirdly gratifying to witness the Seahawks offense stymied by creative pressures without it resulting in a turnover.
Of course, with the Vikings unable to get more than one first down per drive, Seattle could afford patience and caution on offense. When Nick Emmanwori dropped a very catchable deep ball toward Jefferson, and Minnesota trotted out their punter for a cringey 31-yard pooch kick, the contest’s turning point felt imminent.
It was, but not in the way anyone thought.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSure, Dallas Turner knifed around the right side of the line and relieved Darnold of that pesky football on the very next snap. Yes, energized by the game-altering turn of events, the Vikings set up shop 13 yards from paydirt and reached fourth and one. Naturally, they elected to go for it, put the ball in Brosmer’s hands, only to see Jones return it to its rightful home 100 yards south.
Truly the defensive score was made possible by DeMarcus Lawrence showing up in Brosmer’s face immediately and chasing him backwards twenty paces — but perhaps even trulier by Josh Jobe, whose third down tackle in space denied Addison the last yard necessary to set up first and goal.
The Vikings did nothing but move backwards ono the ensuing kickoff, so on third and long, who shows up? Yeah.
Think back to those two TDs to sink the Cardinals. Plus the four sacks and 14 QB hits prior to Week 13. The decisive pressure. The sack to virtually ensure a scoreless half. Lawrence has been — no, hold that thought. Even though you couldn’t possibly say enough about him, I’ll save it for Predator.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTo put a bow on the almost-glorious first half, Seattle added three more points at the death. Look, it’s not hard to shut a team out for a half when you stop them on all third and fourth downs (seven stuffs in seven tries), allow a “grand” total of 48 net yards, and your demigod-like linebacker has more yards gained and points scored than your opponent. It’s hiring the demolition company of Lawrence, Jones & Co. that’s the challenging portion.
Various pieces of bad luck (Walker wrist-tackled in the open field, Darnold passes tipped at the line) conspired to hold the Seahawks to three more to open the half. The math probably instructed Macdonald to go for it on fourth and one from the Minny 36, but I think his decision to kick is respectable. Consider game state: the Vikings haven’t shown the discipline to score on a long drive; no reason to give them a short field; you’re up 13 already and two more kicks might ice the game; hell, 16 might suffice. As we’ll see later, MM is not exactly dogmatic in his fourth-down decision-making. Which has its positives and negatives.
16 wins the game is what MM’s thinking. Or, he’s foreseeing Lawrence’s latest trick. Yes, we have the full clip below, but would you accept an amuse-bouche in the meantime?
That concluded another fruitless Vikings foray that saw them endure a Jones tackle in the hole, a Drake Thomas tackle for loss, and Lawrence pillaging this ball in a deafening 3rd and 14 situation. Face it: there are generally too many Seahawks for opposing offenses to account for, it sometimes is that simple.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementI know I’ve said this already twice this season, but the Seahawks were never going to lose this game. It was academic — still enjoyable, but academic — from that point on. Seattle added yet another Myers field goal off the fumble, Coby Bryant picked a duck out of the air, and Charbonnet rumbled in from 17 yards out as Barner and Nick Kallerup combined to block three men.
Y’all. Winning like this, when your offense is coughing instead of humming, is exactly how you advance in the playoffs.
The last bits of unresolved drama in the fourth quarter were:
Would the MM Seahawks record their first shutout? Check
Would another defender join the interception jamboree? Check
Would Jones double his pleasure? Check
Would Macdonald go for a fourth down? Check (and convert)
Would, suddenly, a wild Drew Lock appear? Check
By the way. Macdonald improved to 19-10. He is 38 years old. If all goes well, those numbers will look quaintfully small when his Seattle coaching run ends. In, like, 2050.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPREDATOR
It would be unethical to start with anyone except DeMarcus Lawrence.
Said Macdonald postgame: “Probably my new favorite play of all time. Incredible, incredible play.” Wow. Excuse me and us all. How exceptional must one play be to impress MM that much?
Lawrence had those matching TDs the other week. He caused an interception and a fumble today to go with his sack. Lowkey John Schneider’s best FA signing, ever, considering the minimal cost and maximal impact at a high-leverage moment for the franchise.
EQUALLY OBVIOUS PREDATOR
Ernest Jones scored more points than the Vikings but also had seven solo tackles and a TFL to go with his two interceptions. Demigod might be understating it.
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Josh Jobe forced the fourth down prior to Jones’ score and made the second Jones pick happen by diving in front of Jefferson to knock the ball upwards. And JJ (two catches, four yards) was even more silent than JSN. Basically Ernest owes his teammate a steak dinner or a new Lamborghini, depending on the size of his upcoming signing bonus. It’ probably the car. Choose a Countach, Josh. Don’t let us down.
PREDATOR
Nobody in the NFL has more field goals than Jason Myers. Another guy atop the league. Four for four today in a game where field goals helped put the game out of reach. Call him Jase-M. (You have to say it out loud.)
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Drake Thomas came in with nine TFLs and three sacks in his last eight games. Got Brosmer in the backfield twice more today. He blitzes with purpose and precision. Credit to Macdonald for deploying him correctly, but more credit to Thomas for actually making the f*cking plays.
PREY
First-half Klint Kubiak. After preying himself on inferior defenses for several weeks, Kubiak’s offense ran into a fearsome defensive line executing their blitzes. Darnold was rattled by guys in his face; his throwing lanes were continually occupied by purple appendages. The Seahawks’ only two scoring drives ended in field goals. The Vikings took JSN out of the game entirely.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThen, the second-half drives went: FG, FG, punt, TD, punt in final minute. The brain trust adjusted, handing the ball off — Walker was 7-43 and Charbonnet added the 17-yard dagger that removed all possible doubt as to the outcome.
PREY (TONGUE-IN-CHEEK)
Mike Macdonald got bullied by the Twelves!
PREY
Today’s game was indubitably an unfair landing spot for Brosmer, down two linemen already and then three, playing from behind, in Seattle, against that d-line. It was not an equitable match, and the Seahawks made sure to capitalize. God it’s good to see them do that to inferior competition, every week.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFalcons on Sunday, Kirk Cousins in the sights, conference’s top seed in play, everything clicking on defense. If the Hawks must soar, let us soar with them.
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