Just when it seemed as if the 2025 season couldn't get any worse for the Minnesota Vikings, the franchise suffered its first shutout in 18 years on Sunday afternoon, taking an embarrassing 26-0 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
With J.J. McCarthy sidelined after entering concussion protocol following the Vikings' Week 12 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Kevin O'Connell turned to former Minnesota Golden Gopher Max Brosmer, who became the first undrafted rookie quarterback to start an NFL regular-season game in two years and the first such player to start for the Vikings since the common draft era began in 1967.
And things did not go well for the 24-year-old, who completed 19 of 30 passes for just 126 yards and tossed four interceptions, one of which went for a pick-6, thus earning an abysmal 32.8 passer rating. Minnesota couldn't get the running game going either, gaining just 66 yards on the ground.
The Minnesota defense did its best to keep the team competitive, holding Seattle to just 219 total yards, surrendering just 23 yards to the league's leading receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, allowing just one touchdown, and sacking former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold four times, two of which came from Dallas Turner, who joined some elite company with his performance on Sunday, as did veteran safety Harrison Smith.
Two Minnesota Vikings defenders achieve milestones in loss to Seattle Seahawks
Dallas Turner is one of just three players to record two strip sacks in a single game this season
With his two sacks on Darnold, Turner now has 8.5 sacks for his young career, tying him with Miami Dolphins edge rusher Chop Robinson for the most of any player under the age of 22.
As both of Turner's sacks resulted in Darnold fumbling the football, the Alabama alum is also the first Vikings player since 2003 to record multiple strip sacks in a single game and just the ninth to do so for Minnesota over the last 35 years.
Furthermore, Turner is now just the third to record at least two strip sacks in the same game this season, joining Cleveland Browns all-world edge rusher and Defensive Player of the Year favorite Myles Garrett and Seahawks second-year linebacker Tyrice Knight.
Harrison Smith recorded his 100th career pass defensed
Going from a player just getting started in the NFL to one whose career is winding down, 36-year-old Harrison Smith racked up five total tackles in the loss, good for a tie for fourth among all Vikings defenders.
The six-time Pro Bowler also recorded his fourth pass defensed this season, thus bringing his career total to exactly 100. As such, Smith is only the fourth active player to hit triple digits in that regard, joining Darius Slay (163), Jalen Ramsey (114), and Denzel Ward (103).