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By Bryan Colbert Jr.
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Carson Wentz’s Monday night ended with a statistical comparison to one of Sam Darnold’s worst games.
His 8.9 passer rating in Minnesota’s 23-6 loss to Buffalo was the lowest by an NFL player with at least 25 attempts since Darnold’s “seeing ghosts” performance against New England in 2019, according to ESPN Insights.
The Vikings stayed within reach into the fourth quarter, but Wentz’s three turnovers and eight completions left their defense carrying a workload the offense never relieved.
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The trouble started on Minnesota’s second possession.
Wentz threw toward Justin Jefferson, and officials initially ruled the pass incomplete. Replay showed it had traveled backward. Buffalo defensive end Greg Rousseau had recovered the loose ball, giving the Bills their first takeaway.
Wentz finished 8-for-25 for 81 yards and two interceptions while starting for Kyler Murray, who injured his hamstring at Detroit.
Darnold’s benchmark also came on a Monday night. Playing for the Jets, he was caught by an ESPN microphone saying he was “seeing ghosts” with New York already trailing 24-0. He finished with four interceptions and a 3.6 passer rating in a 33-0 loss.
Minnesota gave Wentz considerably more room to recover.
Will Reichard’s 53-yard field goal with five seconds before halftime cut Buffalo’s lead to 10-6. The Vikings went into the locker room needing one touchdown to move ahead.
They never scored again.
Buffalo linebackers Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard intercepted Wentz on Minnesota’s first two possessions of the third quarter.
On the second drive, Jordan Mason had gained 24 yards on three consecutive carries before Wentz’s throw toward Jefferson found Bernard instead.
Even when Buffalo gave him time, Wentz struggled. According to ESPN Insights, he completed 36% of his throws without pressure, the lowest single-game mark this season.
His 25% completion rate to wide receivers tied the season low, while 38% of his throws were charted off target, the highest rate since 2024. Jefferson finished with three catches on 11 targets.
“Told the team it starts with me,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said afterward.
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Minnesota still trailed just 13-6 when the fourth quarter began. Buffalo then kept the ball for 8:32, handing it to James Cook nine times on a 15-play drive. His final carry went for a 5-yard touchdown with 6:17 left.
Wentz got one more possession before Kevin O’Connell turned to Max Brosmer. Wentz’s final line put him alongside Darnold, but one number showed how close the Vikings had come to giving him a different ending.
Minnesota was within a touchdown for each of Wentz’s first eight throws after halftime. He completed one.
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