3 Things to know for Vikings vs Seahawks in Week 13

The Minnesota Vikings were probably always destined to be heavy underdogs in their Week 13 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. First, Minnesota is 4-7 and ranks 28th in the league in offense. Second, the Seahawks are 8-3 and rank second in scoring offense and seventh in scoring defense.

But rookie Max Brosmer will be making his first career start for the Vikings. The Seahawks are only 3-2 at home this season, but Lumen Field is historically one of the loudest stadiums to play in. It will be paramount for the Vikings' offense to be disciplined pre-snap even to stand a chance after the ball is snapped.

Even that will only do so much, as

Here are three things to know for the Vikings' Week 13 matchup against the Seahawks.

3 Things to know for Vikings vs Seahawks in Week 13

Max Brosmer will be making his first career start

Set into motion because J.J. McCarthy suffered a concussion last Sunday and Carson Wentz is out for the season with a shoulder injury, Brosmer will get his first NFL start. Coaches have lauded him for his football IQ, to the point that he had to be told to "back off" during the preseason so the staff could focus on McCarthy's development.

Brosmer was signed as an undrafted free agent right after April's draft. He quarterbacked the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2024, leading them to an 8-5 record while completing 66.5% of his passes for 2,828 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions. His local connection gave the Vikings' staff a behind-the-scenes look at him.

In the preseason, Brosmer showed that he was too good to be subject to waivers, a necessary action to sneak players onto the practice squad. He showed good command of the offense, completing 35 of 58 passes for 364 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

The Seahawks blitz rookie quarterbacks far more than veterans

Some teams choose to sit back and force young quarterbacks to decipher coverages. But Seattle head coach Mike MacDonald has turned up the heat since arriving in 2024, blitzing on 30.0% of rookie dropbacks, as opposed to only 22.7% of the time against non-rookies, per Next Gen Stats.

The effectiveness of these blitzes is astonishing. Seattle has sent 42 blitzes, generating nine sacks and allowing those rookie quarterbacks to complete just 14 of 30 passes for 107 yards and an interception. It would be hard to imagine MacDonald straying too far from this approach, especially if Christian Darrisaw and Donovan Jackson don't play.

The most prolific receiver on the field plays for the Seahawks on Sunday

It's not often that Justin Jefferson isn't the most prolific receiver on the field. Even though he entered Week 13 ranked 8th with 795 receiving yards, he trails by a large margin, as does every other receiver, to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Through 11 games, Smith-Njigba leads the league with 1,313 receiving yards. That has him on pace to become the first receiver in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 yards. His seven touchdowns also dwarf Jefferson, who has only two this season.

It helps that Smith-Njigba has Sam Darnold throwing to him, while Jefferson has had to deal with quarterback instability. But Smith-Njigba has to be the Vikings' primary focus on defense, as he has accounted for 46.9% of Seattle's air passing yards this season.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: 3 Things to know for Vikings vs Seahawks in Week 13