A silver lining is fathomable in every situation.

It's actually easy to identify one after Minnesota's tough go on Thursday Night Football at the Los Angeles Chargers: Save for a Christmas Day game in two months against Detroit, the Vikings can find solace in the rest of the 2025 slate's scheduled dates and times. No more overseas trips, and the team has four consecutive games set for noon (CT) Sunday kickoffs.

There's normalcy ahead, and therefore a sense of optimism.

First, though, the club must learn from its performance on the West Coast, which is something Head Coach Kevin O'Connell understands. After the loss to Philadelphia in Week 7, O'Connell touted reflection as a useful tool to improve. That demands acceptance of an undesirable but irrefutable truth.

Minnesota, right now, isn't playing a winning style of football.

In the Vikings 37-10 loss, veteran Carson Wentz winced in pain as often, if not more, than he smiled. That comes with the territory, unfortunately, of taking cruel and consistent punishment. The backup quarterback made his fifth straight start in place of J.J. McCarthy, who if healthy enough to play in Week 9 will return to the lineup, and tried to tough out an obvious issue with his left, non-throwing shoulder.

Wentz was sacked five times, bringing his five-game total since Week 3 to 19 – the second-most sacks taken by a Vikings QB in any five-game span in the last 20 seasons – and faced 17 DPRs (pressures of any kind generated by the defense) on 32 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Afterwards, Wentz said it was "quite possibly" the most extended period of pain he's endured in a game.

All told, he completed 55.6 percent of his throws for 144 yards, one touchdown, one pick and a 67.5 passer rating. Across all his starts, Wentz posted a 65.1% clip, with a 6:5 TD-INT ratio and an 85.8 rating.

Aside from the no mercy shown by an L.A. defense excited to set their own record straight, what were some takeaways from the prime-time clash out on the West Coast? Eric Edholm of NFL.com shared five.

• Justin Herbert and the Bolts offense returned to early season form
• The shorthanded Vikings offensive line hardly gave Wentz a winning chance
• Chargers rookie TE Oronde Gadsden II kept shaking Southern California like an earthquake
• Minnesota's slow start, plagued by self-inflicted errors, compounded its defensive miscues
• The L.A. defense dominated (as indicated by the final score)

You can read what Edholm thought of the one-sided TNF affair here.

Hall of Fame watch

Former Vikings have advanced in another set of rounds for 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration.

This week, kicker Gary Anderson and defensive linemen Kevin Williams were included on the list of 52 retired players that will be reduced to 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026. Additionally, former running backs Chuck Foreman (1973-79) and defensive lineman Jim Marshall (1961-79) are among 34 considerations for the three finalist spots for the Seniors category (retired in 2000 or before).

Anderson spent five of his 23 NFL seasons in Purple (1998-2002), and Williams 11 of 13 (2003-13). Foreman and Marshall, the latter of whom died this summer, were teammates for seven seasons in the 1970s. Each played one year outside Minnesota; they're hailed as two of the greatest Vikings of all-time.

Although he was a First-Team All-Pro in five seasons and is part of the league's Team of the Decade for the 2000s, Williams did not advance to the semifinalist stage of voting in his first five years of eligibility. The 45-year-old, who was chosen with the 9^th pick in 2003, observed teammate Jared Allen's induction in August. Williams tallied five interceptions, nine forced fumbles, 63 sacks and 113 tackles for loss as a pro.

After dominating offenses for more than a decade in Vikings threads, Williams closed his career with Seattle (2014) and New Orleans (2015). His Hall of Fame Monitor on Pro Football Reference (a measure that estimates a player's chances of enshrinement) is 105.03, good for ninth among defensive tackles.

Anderson joined the Vikings at age 39 following a lengthy stint in Pittsburgh and pit stops with Philadelphia and San Francisco. In his debut season donning the Norseman logo, he became the first kicker to convert 100 percent of his extra points and field goals in the regular season (min. 10 point-after attempts and five FG tries), earning him his lone First-Team All-Pro nod. Anderson's 2,434 points scored ranks third in NFL annals, behind fellow kickers Adam Vinatieri (2,673) and Morten Andersen (2,544).

The feats of Foreman and Marshall are esteemed in Vikings and NFL lore.

Foreman transcended his position, setting a record at the time for the most receptions in a campaign by a running back with 73 in 1975, which happened to be his second consecutive season finishing in the Top 5 on the Most Valuable Player ballot. Foreman was drafted 12^th overall in 1973 and was honored as the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year. He's one of 21 running backs with at least 1,500 career carries, 350 catches and 75 scrimmage TDs (10 of those players already are members of the exclusive HOF fraternity).

Marshall's case for a bronze bust and Gold Jacket is the strongest.

The epitome of an "NFL Iron Man," Marshall made 289 starts in a row for Minnesota counting playoff contests. After a single season with Cleveland in 1960, he helped usher in the Vikings expansion into the NFL and captained them on and off the field. Revered by players, coaches and historians, he is arguably one of the biggest whiffs by the HOF committee, in that he deserved to be immortalized a long, long while ago.

Marshall's 129.5 sacks ranks 25^th on pro-football-reference.com's leaderboard; his 29 career recoveries of opponent fumbles set an NFL record tied by Hall of Famer Jason Taylor; and his 168 Approximate Value (AV), an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player, is tied for 31^st with 49ers greats and deserving Gold Jacket wearers Ronnie Lott and Steve Young. Marshall indeed belongs there.

Other "senior" players still vying for a seat at the table with Vikings ties are RB Roger Craig and WR Art Powell. The former wore Purple and Gold for two seasons (1992-93); the latter played in one 1968 game.

Here's the updated list of modern-era nominees, as well as the rundown of senior players in contention.

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