Why Max Brosmer, Vikings are 11.5-point underdogs in crucial NFC battle originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Minnesota Vikings are massive underdogs for their Week 13 contest against the Seattle Seahawks, and for good reason.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to sportsbooks, the Vikings are 11.5-point underdogs to the Seahawks, which amounts to the largest spread of the remaining games for this week.
There are a few factors for why the Vikings are such heavy underdogs to the Seahawks.
Max Brosmer's first NFL start
Quarterback Max Brosmer will be making his first NFL start in place of injured fellow signal-caller J.J. McCarthy, who is out due to a concussion.
Brosmer was an undrafted free-agent signing of the Vikings during the offseason and has only thrown eight passes in the league.
None of those passes have come in high-leverage situations, though, so Brosmer will be feeling pressure unlike anything he has experienced in the NFL thus far.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBrosmer draws a matchup against an elite Seahawks defense that is loaded with talent all over, which will only make things more difficult.
Seattle can get after the quarterback (36 sacks, ranked fourth), stuff the run (90.8 yards per game, ranked fourth) and sports a solid pass defense (210.2 yards per game, ranked 14th) that has studs at cornerback and safety.
The Vikings would have been heavy underdogs even if McCarthy played, but the wild card that Brosmer is likely contributed to making the spread even higher.
The Vikings are the road team
Stacking the deck even further against Brosmer is the fact that he's got to overcome one of the more hostile environments in the NFL at Lumen Field, which is notoriously loud.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe louder it gets, the more difficult it is going to be for Brosmer at the line of scrimmage and to hear play calls, two things that only increase the chances for mistakes.
Since Lumen Field opened in 2002, the Vikings are just 2-6 there, although they did win the last matchup in Seattle in 2024, albeit with an experienced quarterback in Sam Darnold at the helm.
Now, Darnold is playing for the Seahawks and the Vikings are forced to turn to a rookie quarterback who is going to have his hands full and then some on Sunday.
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