It’s likely unsurprising to learn that the defense on a 4-7 team hasn’t played up to expectations this year. It may be more surprising, however, to learn that the same defense is ranked in the top 10 in EPA, yards allowed per play, pressure rate, and explosive plays, among other stats. It’s certainly a strange place to live. The Minnesota Vikings’ defense isn’t necessarily losing the team games, but unlike last year, it isn’t winning them either.
As Minnesota heads west this weekend to face the Seattle Seahawks, there’s a real opportunity to find out who this defense really is — and the man holding the tarot cards is a very familiar face.
Objectively, the biggest difference in this season’s defense from last year’s is the complete lack of turnovers. In 2024, Minnesota gathered a whopping 33 takeaways, including an incredible 24 interceptions. So far this season, those numbers have plummeted to just nine total takeaways and three interceptions, with over half of those turnovers taking place in the Cincinnati Bengals game alone. In fact, Minnesota went the entire month of November without forcing an interception. Has it simply been bad luck, or is there a bigger issue at hand?
Enter Sam Darnold, the one-and-done Vikings quarterback who took his talents to Seattle in the offseason. Although he hasn’t been perfect for the Seahawks, he’s playing winning football while putting up some decent numbers any Vikings fan would envy, with a 69.5% completion percentage and 19 passing touchdowns. While fans can resent his departure all they want, what’s done is done, and he’ll now serve a greater purpose as the perfect measuring stick for Minnesota’s muddled season.
Besides being very familiar with defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the Vikings defense, Darnold is also responsible for a league-worst 14 total turnovers this year. His four-interception blow-up against the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago brought up memories of Minnesota’s nightmare of last year’s Wild Card defeat.
So, in theory, who better than him to truly learn if the Vikings defense has lost the magic touch? Despite the Seahawks entering the matchup at 8-3, there’s a clear opportunity for the defense to take advantage of someone they know well and who… let’s say, has tendencies to blow up in big moments.
Flores addressed the opportunity ahead of the matchup, and he won’t be pulling any punches.
“Sam’s one of my favorites,” said Flores. “We had a great rapport, friendship. I’m happy for him, but we will blitz him this week.”
The Vikings lead the NFL in blitz rate through 12 weeks at 47%, but Darnold has been one of the best quarterbacks against the blitz, both last year with the Vikings and this year with Seattle. He’s graded in the top five by PFF each season for quarterbacks under pressure, and Flores will put those numbers to the test. While the heat and pressure have been there all season, the sacks and strip-sacks haven’t followed suit. They have just 27 sacks this year, or 12th in the league, and no one player on the roster has more than four.
Besides trying to rattle Darnold’s cage, Minnesota will also look to use its inside knowledge of his strengths, but also weaknesses, to try and force some much-needed turnovers. They’ve lost the turnover battle in seven games this season, and have gone 1-6, with the one win coming against the hapless Cleveland Browns.
Darnold has four games this year with multiple turnovers, and the Vikings are long overdue after going five weeks without an interception. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reasons for the lack of takeaways in 2025. Constantly playing from behind and unlucky tips or bounces could be contributing factors, but if the sudden change plays don’t come against Darnold, they just might not be in the cards this season. Still, Kevin O’Connell has hope things can change.
“I think you just gotta keep playing,” he said. “You gotta keep punching. You gotta keep raking, hammering, going at the football when ball carriers have it, getting population to the ball to see how many purple hats we can have arriving at the ball to have those opportunities, not only to punch it out, but then get it when it ends up on the ground, and then catch the ones they throw to us. If we do get one thrown our way, we gotta make that play.”
Minnesota’s most powerful source of winning football throughout Kevin O’Connell’s tenure has been winning the turnover battle. But in 2025, the offense has gifted the ball away a league-worst 21 times, and the defense hasn’t been able to steal it back. Darnold provides a unique opportunity to turn the tide, but as much as the Vikings know about his ghosts, there’s always the chance that he might know more about theirs.