"Hello, old friend / It is really good to see you once again."

The chorus of Eric Clapton's 1976 song "Hello Old Friend" will be the silent soundtrack to Sunday's game at Lumen Field between the Vikings and the Seahawks (who coincidentally kicked off their first season as a franchise just weeks before the song's release). While Seattle's roster is peppered with familiar faces from past seasons, one looms largest: quarterback Sam Darnold.

Darnold – who pieced together a career year in 2024 with Minnesota and led the Vikings to their second-most victories in a season (14) and a playoff appearance – signed with Seattle in free agency last March. This season, he's traveling a similar path; according to Pro Football Focus, among quarterbacks with at least 250 dropbacks, Darnold ranks fifth in the NFL in completion percentage (69.5 percent), eighth in passing yards (2,785), fourth in passer rating (106.2) and is tied for sixth in touchdowns (19). He also leads the league in yards per pass attempt with 9.3.

As a result, the Seahawks (8-3) have won five of their past six games and currently possess the first NFC Wild Card spot but are just a game behind the Rams (9-2) for the NFC West lead. Seattle has also seen a surge in its scoring, as its offense ranks second in the NFL at 29.5 points per game. In their seven games from Weeks 3 to 10, the Seahawks scored 31+ points in the first half three times, becoming the fourth overall team to do so, according to NFL Media Research. The other teams were the 1961 Chargers and 1968 Raiders in the AFL and the 1980 Rams.

The Vikings (4-7), meanwhile, have lost five of their past six contests and three consecutive for the first time since Minnesota went 0-3 to start the 2023 season. Minnesota's latest loss – a 23-6 defeat at Green Bay in Week 12 – was followed up with the placement of quarterback J.J. McCarthy in concussion protocol. McCarthy was ruled out Friday, so the Vikings will start undrafted rookie QB Max Brosmer, who will set some history for one of his alma maters in the process (see below for more).

Let's see who the experts are picking to win the game:

Seahawks 30, Vikings 9 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

This is the revenge game for Sam Darnold against the team he played with in 2025. With struggling J.J. McCarthy in the concession protocol, this could be rookie Max Brosmer making his first start. That's tough enough on the road, but in Seattle it's brutal. Seahawks big.

Seahawks 33, Vikings 20 – Bill Bender, Sporting News

Sam Darnold faces the team that helped revive his career. … Darnold keeps the Seahawks in line in the NFC West.

Seahawks 30, Vikings 20 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

The Seahawks field the offense with the true balance and explosiveness in this matchup, with Darnold giving Jaxon Smith-Njigba the treatment Justin Jefferson wishes he still had.

0 of 5 experts pick the Vikings, NFL.com

Analysis from NFL.com's Gennaro Filice:

This has to feel like a cruel joke to Vikings fans. This matchup? In this particular moment? Minnesota just suffered its fifth loss in the last six weeks. J.J. McCarthy comfortably has the lowest completion percentage and worst passer rating of any qualified quarterback – helping explain why Justin Jefferson is averaging the fewest yards per game of his career – and now the former No. 10 overall pick is in the concussion protocol, putting undrafted rookie Max Brosmer in line to make his first NFL start. With that as the backdrop, the Vikings have to travel across the country to face the quarterback who guided them to a 14-3 record in 2024. And he's playing even better in 2025, making sweet music with the new "It Guy" at receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The football gods have a sick sense of humor, all right, especially considering Sam Darnold is flanked by one of the league's best defenses. Seattle's ferocious front makes life hell on opposing QBs, having racked up a league-high 193 pressures, per Next Gen Stats. What can we realistically expect from Minnesota's quarterback in this game? How vindictive is Darnold? These are the kinds of leading questions I ask when I'm sensing a beatdown.

0 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, Bleacher Report

Bleacher Report analysis by Gary Davenport:

This pick can be summed up in two words: Max Brosmer.

He isn't a randomly generated "Madden" character, although he rather sounds like one. He is an undrafted rookie who spent five seasons at New Hampshire before transferring to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2024.

Brosmer will make his first NFL start in one of the most hostile road environments against the league's seventh-ranked defense in both yards and points allowed.

Bleacher Report analysis by Kris Knox:

It looks like we're all on the Seahawks, and there's a good reason for that: Minnesota's offensive line is a liability and is about to face the buzzsaw that is Seattle.

Whether the Vikings have McCarthy or Brosmer behind center, this is a potentially calamitous situation for them. However, that doesn't mean Minnesota can't cover.

If the Vikings can consistently get the ball to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, they can keep things relatively close on the scoreboard.

If Sam Darnold has another four-interception day – and his former employer will know how to make him uncomfortable – the Seahawks may find themselves in trap-game territory.

0 of 6 experts pick the Vikings, The MMQB

0 of 11 experts pick the Vikings, ESPN

0 of 6 experts pick the Vikings, The Athletic

0 of 6 experts pick the Vikings, USA Today

A Golden (Gopher) Opportunity

Many former and current Vikings have made their mark throughout the franchise's history after starring at the University of Minnesota, including defensive end and Pro Football Hall of Famer Carl Eller, guard Milt Sunde, defensive back/return specialist Marcus Sherels and linebacker Blake Cashman.

Brosmer is poised to become the first former Gophers player to start at quarterback for the Vikings in team history. He also will become the first Golden Gophers QB (with a minimum of five completions while playing at the U of M) to start at the position in the NFL and the first since Cory Sauter in 2002 to take a snap under center in a regular-season game.

Brosmer, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Vikings, made his NFL debut in Week 3 vs. Cincinnati. He went 2-for-4 passing for 29 yards, with 20 of those on a completion to Zavier Scott on fourth-and-6 to close out a 48-10 victory. Brosmer then saw game action in the final minutes against the Chargers in Week 8, going 3-for-4 passing for 13 yards.

Series Notes

The Vikings and Seahawks have met 20 times in their history, with Seattle holding a 13-7 lead in the series. While Minnesota has won two consecutive games against the Seahawks – one at home (30-17 in 2021) and the most recent meeting last year on the road (27-24), the Vikings have struggled in Seattle.

The three-point victory in Week 16 last season not only snapped a five-game losing streak for the Vikings when visiting the Emerald City, but it was also just Minnesota's third overall road victory in Seattle in franchise history. Prior to 2024, the Vikings claimed wins at Seattle in 2006 (31-13) and 1990 (24-21) while the Seahawks defeated Minnesota in 1978, 1987, 1996 and 2002 before going on their five-game streak from 2012 to 2020.

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