Vikings Face a Quarterback Crossroads After Wentz's 2.3 QBR, and the Packers Line Sits at 4.5

Vikings Left at a Quarterback Crossroads After Wentz's Monday Night Showing

Minnesota lost 23-6 to Buffalo on Monday night, and ESPN reports the Vikings now face a choice before Tuesday afternoon's trade deadline: add a quarterback, or live with Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer. Coach Kevin O'Connell deferred the question to general manager Nolan Teasley.

Wentz completed 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards with two interceptions and a third dropped. His 2.3 QBR was the lowest of any quarterback this season, and his off-target rate of 38% was the lowest in an NFL game this year, per ESPN.

I should have run the football more.

Running backs Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason combined for 11 carries among 46 plays. Minnesota held the ball for 17:28, after 24:17 in a 19-15 loss to Detroit last week. ESPN says its 11 touchdowns match the winless Chargers, and the Vikings are the first team since 1925 with six wins and three touchdown-free games through eight games.

Vikings at Packers Odds: What the Market Did

Minnesota visits Green Bay on November 15. DraftKings lists the Packers as 4.5-point favorites, the same number it opened with, per ESPN's odds feed as of November 10 at 8:05 AM ET. The total has dropped four points.

The feed does not say why a line moved, so everything after this table is our reading and not a reported cause.

Our Read: Is This a Quarterback Problem or an Offense Problem?

Our reading is that the quarterback is the loudest symptom, not the only one.

• The game plan is part of it. O'Connell called his own approach a mistake, and 11 carries in 46 plays is a choice, not a talent gap. A cleaner run mix is the cheapest fix available.
• The total says the market sees a slog. A four-point drop is large for one week. It fits an offense that has gone without a touchdown three times, though the feed gives no reason.
• The spread has not moved. After a bad Monday night, a stable 4.5 suggests the price already assumed a weak Minnesota offense, or that Green Bay's own number moved the other way. We cannot tell which.
• A deadline trade would not settle it. A new passer arriving this week would have days to learn the offense, and Justin Jefferson's call to simplify the scheme points at more than one player.

The evidence points both ways: the defense and special teams have kept Minnesota at 6-2, which is real, but ESPN says that play is being wasted.

What to Watch Before Sunday

• Whether Minnesota makes a quarterback move before the Tuesday deadline, and who starts at Green Bay.
• The run share: Jones and Mason had 11 carries on Monday.
• Whether the 41.5 total moves again once the starter is named.
• Third-down volume, since the Vikings had only eight against Buffalo.

Check any two moneylines in our hold and no-vig calculator

Odds describe a price and not an outcome. Set a limit before you bet, and bet only where it is legal.

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