SEATTLE — The frustration appears to be setting in for star receiver Justin Jefferson.

After the Vikings were embarrassed in a 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field, Jefferson left the locker room without talking to reporters. The fact that Jefferson declined comment is notable because he has typically spoken after every game — win, lose, or draw.

It’s not a coincidence that Jefferson chose not to speak publicly after only two catches for a career-low four yards.

Though he has shown incredible professionalism over the past couple of months, Jefferson — who has only two touchdown receptions in 11 games — appears to slowly be reaching a boiling point as the Vikings struggle to find their identity on offense.

Asked last week about some of the offensive woes, Jefferson replied, “It’s frustrating to be up here and say the same things every single week.” The lack of production is clearly starting to wear on Jefferson as he searches for answers.

Thielen a healthy scratch

The homecoming has not gone according to plan for veteran receiver Adam Thielen. He hasn’t made much of an impacton the field this season after being acquired via a trade with the Carolina Panthers over the summer, and his snap count has steadily declined over the past couple of months.

That played a role in him being a healthy scratch for the Vikings against the Seahawks on Sunday.

“Just file it under a coach’s decision looking at where we are at some other positions around our roster,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We’re just trying to do what we think is best to win and make sure we’ve got some depth at some other spots.”

Turner has a solid showing

The rise of edge rusher Dallas Turner is a silver lining amid a disappointing campaign. He has come into his own over the past few weeks, recording a sack against the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers before adding a pair of sacks against the Seahawks.

“It was just playing fast,” Turner said. “I feel like that was what happened.”

As the Vikings navigate some hard times, Turner credited veterans edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, among a handful of other defensive players, for helping keep spirits up.

“We have some great older leaders on the defensive side of the ball,” Turner said. “We love working together and bonding together no matter what.”

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Minnesota trailed San Antonio by four to open the final frame Sunday night at Target Center. 

Then the Timberwolves put the Spurs away with six-plus minutes of their very best basketball of the season.

The Wolves moved the ball freely, with possessions flush with drives and kicks and swings that were paid off with buried open triples. It was a fitting ode to the opposition — the Spurs are the Godfathers of basketball’s beautiful game.

On the other end, Minnesota was relentless with its ball pressure and rotations, not allowing the Spurs’ offense that it couldn’t contain for the first three quarters any room to operate.

Minnesota opened the quarter on a 25-7 run to cruise to a 125-112 win over San Antonio — the Wolves’ second straight win, with both coming over teams with winning records after dropping their first seven such contests this season.

Anthony Edwards finished with 32 points, six assists and four rebounds on a night where he shot a blistering 13 for 18 from the field. And the star guard subbed in for part of that majestic period of basketball excellence.

But the run started with Naz Reid, Julius Randle, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo. They moved the ball with precision and purpose. All five guys on the floor scored in the first five and a half minutes of the quarter before Spurs coach Mitch Johnson finally called timeout with Minnesota’s lead up to 10.

Sure, the Spurs played center-less for that portion of the contest, which allowed Minnesota’s smaller unit to defend better than it has for much of the season. San Antonio is currently without star big man Victor Wembanyama.

Still, Minnesota was dialed in. Conley noted after Saturday’s win over Boston that the Wolves have so much talent, the defense can suffer because of it.

“I think we have so many guys that can push the ball, score the ball, and that’s the fun part of the game. Everybody looks to run, everybody looks to play with pace,” the guard said. “That’s something we set out to do this year is play faster, throw the ball out, get guys more opportunities. When you’re doing that, you can slip up on the other end with what made you good in prior seasons. Because the fun part is putting that ball in the hole and everybody having a good night.

“But it’s equally hard to do both, and I think we’re finding that out. To run, to play offense and to guard is really hard to do.”

Minnesota has demonstrated that thus far this season, as the defense has waxed and waned. The Wolves simply tried to score alongside the Celtics in the first half Saturday and then did the same for three quarters Sunday against San Antonio.

“But if you want to be one of the better teams, you’ve got to do both,” Conley said. “And that’s what we’re trying to do.”

That’s what the best teams in the NBA do — the two to three that can go to sleep at night truly believing they’re NBA title contenders. The brand of basketball Minnesota played in the fourth quarter Sunday emulated that standard.

That has to be what Minnesota holds itself to moving forward. The results are clear. The Wolves shot 56% from the floor and 46% from deep. The team tallied 35 assists, 12 of which belonged to Randle. Seven players scored eight-plus points.

And, most importantly, Minnesota scored a key win.

Sunday’s fourth quarter provided the path, the roadmap to sustained success and championship contention. This pack of Wolves has found its North Star — how frequently it can follow it will determine its seasonlong success.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – NOVEMBER 30: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves rebounds the ball against Luke Kornet #7 of the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter at Target Center on November 30, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, right, defends against San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

In the immediate wake of the Vikings’ 26-0 loss at Seattle on Sunday, there was a general sense that the game was lost as soon as Max Brosmer threw a pick six late in the first half.

Asking Brosmer, an undrafted free-agent rookie making his first NFL start, to make a play instead of settling for a game-tying field goal, if not insane — the narrative goes — was a dereliction of duty.

And truth be told, Brosmer responded by throwing one of the worst interceptions in Vikings history, a panicked, underhanded heave that had about three Seahawks defenders lining up for an interception. Ernest Jones IV got there first, but to be honest, it was thrown right to him.

Jones completed the play by running an official 95 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead. And, yeah, the game was over. It was the ugliest play in a game full of them.

But, c’mon. This team was completely outmatched on Sunday. Its best chance to win was by forfeit. They didn’t lose 14-10, they lost 26-0. They weren’t just shut out on Sunday, they were no-hit. It’s hard to imagine anyone watching all four quarters of that game and pointing to any single Vikings mistake as the deciding factor.

The Vikings turned the ball over six times, four interceptions and two fumbles. The defense was called offside — the dumbest penalty in football at any level — four times. Aaron Jones ran six times for three yards and left with an injury.

The Vikings’ once-lethal passing game is officially beached. Brosmer was sacked four times. Star receiver Justin Jefferson caught two passes for four yards, Jordan Addison caught five and dropped two.

It’s difficult to go back and determine what this team’s best-case ceiling was at the season’s onset, but it has become a bad football team — now 4-8 and last, by a long shot, in the NFC North.

Is it all just because they don’t have a quarterback?

Clearly, the expectations for J.J. McCarthy were optimistic, if not officially delusional. But blaming this all on one position seems too easy. Still, there’s no doubt the team’s inability to field one reliable quarterback — in three tries — has been the team’s biggest weakness.

The defense is fine. It can wreak havoc on quarterbacks, and has respectable numbers against the run and pass. It’s not great, and doesn’t force enough turnovers — only three interceptions — but it could help a better offense win games.

But the offense is on its third quarterback and still hasn’t found a reliable one. The decision to roll the dice with first-year starter McCarthy has worked neither competitively nor developmentally.

The Vikings lead the NFL in interceptions (15) and can’t consistently get the ball into the hands of Jefferson, who has been one of the two or three best receivers in the NFL since his rookie season in 2020.

After Sunday, Jefferson had 60 receptions for 795 yards with two (!) touchdowns in 11 games. He finished higher in each category in 2023, when he was limited to 10 total games because of a hamstring injury.

Who will make the team’s best player happy again? Jefferson has to be wondering if he’s wasting his prime on a team that seems a long way from the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance since 1977.

There was some hope that Brosmer, who parlayed a combination of accuracy and preternatural processing skills into a roster spot out of training camp, might surprise everyone by running an efficient ship on Sunday. But when set upon by an unblocked DeMarcus Lawrence, he made every bad decision in five seconds.

This team has a lot of big decisions ahead of it, and we can take only one certainty from Sunday’s game: If McCarthy returns from concussion protocol this season, he will regain his starting job.

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A five-game winning streak late in the season was enough to earn the Gophers a top-16 seed nationally required to host the opening weekend in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament. In the process, they helped out St. Thomas.

Minnesota is the No. 4 seed in its quadrant and will host first- and second-round action at Maturi Pavilion starting with a date Friday at 7 p.m. against Fairfield. That match will come after the conclusion of the other first-round matchup at the site at 4:30 p.m. between fifth-seeded Iowa State and the Tommies.

St. Thomas is making its inaugural Division I NCAA appearance in their first year of postseason eligibility after winning the Summit League Tournament crown. The Gophers earning opening weekend hosting duties gave the committee a local site to put St. Thomas in, as well.

The winners of the two first-round matches will meet in the second round at 7 p.m. Saturday back at the U with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.

In the unlikely event the Tommies upset Iowa State, it could set the stage for a rematch between St. Thomas and the Gophers. Minnesota won the first matchup, 3-1, on Aug. 31.

Pittsburgh is the No. 1 seed in St. Thomas and Minnesota’s regional and will host the Regional semifinals and final in Pennsylvania.

The Gophers, who have struggled with an array of injuries this season, were one of eight Big Ten teams to make it to the dance. Minnesota was never in danger of missing the tournament, but the strong finish, which included a win over No. 11 Purdue on Wednesday, was required to secure a weekend at home.

“It’s special to be able to bring the NCAA Tournament back in front of our fans at Maturi Pavilion,” Gophers coach Keegan Cook said in a release. “It’s a testament to the work the team has put in all season long. Not a lot has gone to plan this year, but being able to host the NCAA Tournament was definitely a goal of ours.”

St. Thomas junior Morgan Kealy (5) and senior teammate Ella Voegele (4) celebrate a point during their match victory over South Dakota State in the Summit League championship game Nov. 25, 2025, in Brookings, S.D. (Dave Eggen / Inertia)

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