Low-Wattage Offense Gets a Jolt after Vikings’ Loss

Low-Wattage Offense Gets a Jolt after Vikings’ Loss Joe Oberle | Published : Nov 12, 2026 Follow Us Facebook Twitter Reddit WhatsApp Email Copy Link Copy Link Link Copied Vikings Territory Breakdown The Vikings came out of the gate amped for this one: a Monday Night Football game at home against the Buffalo Bills. The crowd was rocking; the defense was amazing; and then the offense took the field. They were amped, too; perhaps a bit too much. Carson Wentz , the hero of the first game of the season, laid an egg. He threw two picks (and nearly two more) plus was credited with a fumble and finished the game with embarrassing numbers (an 8.9 passer rating, the second owest in team history). The Vikings lost the game 23-6, despite another incredible performance by the defense, which, once again, was on the field too long (42 minutes to 17 for the offense) and ran out of gas. After the game, head coach Kevin O’Connell said “Our preparation is not carrying over to the stadium with us.” The problems with the offense might start there, but there is much more criticism warranted. The running game was too little, too late (51 yards); the passing game was terrible (127 yards) and the turnovers (three) and pre-snap penalties were killers. KO took the blame onto himself, and while that’s admirable, he needs to fix it before this season of promise is ground under into the shards of the shredded rubber tires of the field turf. The Vikings are now on a two-game slide (falling well out of the top spot in the NFC North Division), and the 6-0 start is a distant memory that looks more like smoke and mirrors than the last undefeated team in the league this season. Wentz looked better earlier in the season and he was put in a difficult spot on Monday, but his performance versus the Bills belies the need for a move at quarterback at the trade deadline. And that’s exactly what they Vikings did—trading a third-round pick for our old friend Kirk Cousins . Kirko Chainz is “scrambling back to Deep Purple” (to paraphrase an old Sports Illustrated cover when Fran Tarkenton returned to Minnesota) after a very good half season in Las Vegas. Will this trade (surprising, yet necessary for the win-now Vikings) be the right wattage to amp up the offense? We will see—and we will certainly be talking about it on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast. The fellas, Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com, and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune, will break everything down. Tune in and check it out. Skol! Listen to Vikings Territory Breakdown here or on you favorite podcast network. Discover more from Vikings Territory Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe By Joe Oberle Joe Oberle is a veteran sportswriter/editor/reporter and has covered the Vikings since 2008. The author of three books, he ... More about Joe Oberle