Winners and Losers from the Vikings' Week 9 loss

Questions surround the Minnesota Vikings after their 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills . Once again, the offense failed to produce, while the defense gave a Herculean effort. In some ways, this game felt out of reach the entire time. In other ways, the three-score final doesn't match what we saw on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday. The Vikings are looking to acquire a quarterback before Tuesday afternoon's trade deadline. If they can find a good match, Minnesota can salvage the season, as crazy as that is to say, at 6-2. If not, this season could go off the rails fast as the offense continues to regress. Here are the winners and losers from Monday's game against the Bills. Winners and Losers from the Vikings' 23-6 loss to the Bills Winner: Brian Flores I'll start by giving this one to the man in charge of the defense. Almost any other team would have been out of this game by halftime. However, Brian Flores' defense stifled Josh Allen and Buffalo's offense for most of the game, holding the high-powered Bills offense to 4.3 yards per play on 79 snaps. Minnesota sacked Allen four times and intercepted him in the first quarter. Buffalo entered the game with the league's highest-scoring offense, but the Vikings held the Bills in check until late in the fourth quarter. This may have been Minnesota's best defensive performance of the season, given the opponent and the offense's lack of help. Loser: Kevin O'Connell I've been a staunch Kevin O'Connell supporter since he arrived in 2022, but last night was his lowest point as head coach. The Vikings' offense didn't have any life, and Carson Wentz looked lost, a recurring theme among Minnesota's quarterbacks since the beginning of the 2025 season. O'Connell admitted after the game that he should have run the ball more (12 runs for 51 yards), which would have been a productive counter to the disastrous passing game. His job is likely safe in-season, but the cracks are increasingly difficult to ignore. He has to figure out this offense quickly; otherwise, he'll lose the locker room if he hasn't already. Winner: Byron Murphy Jr. The Vikings ended the Bills' second drive when Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted a heave to WR D.J. Moore in the end zone. Murphy wasn't even the man in coverage but got under the football. Instead of kneeling the ball in the end zone for a touchback, Murphy returned it 54 yards to set Minnesota up at its own 47-yard line. Unfortunately, the momentum was short-lived. Loser: Carson Wentz It's impossible not to blame O'Connell for this offensive ineptitude, but Carson Wentz did the head coach no favors either. Wentz completed 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards and threw two interceptions. On the first play following Murphy's interception, Wentz attempted a screen to Justin Jefferson, but the ball was off-target. Because it went backward, it was ruled a fumble and recovered by Buffalo. The expectation was that Wentz would help stabilize the Vikings' offense with Kyler Murray sidelined by a hamstring injury. Instead, Wentz produced one of the worst quarterback performances of the 2026 season and in team history. Winner: The Vikings' defensive line We'll award this one to the entire defensive line. Minnesota pressured Allen while also shutting down James Cook for most of the game, and it's hard to choose only one player as the standout. Jalen Redmond (83.3) had the third-highest PFF grade of any Vikings defender and registered half a sack. Rookie Domonique Orange (75.5) had one of the best games of his young career. Second-year player Elijah Williams (66.7) saw his first extensive regular-season action, playing 32 snaps in place of rookie Caleb Banks, who was a healthy scratch. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (66.1), who registered half a sack, and Levi Drake Rodriguez (65.5) were solid again as starters. And we'll count edge rushers Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel in this group, too. Each recorded a sack, and Van Ginkel nearly strip-sacked Allen near the goal line, which could have shifted the momentum in the second quarter. Loser: Justin Jefferson's long-term future with the Vikings I don't want to act like Justin Jefferson is to blame for his three-catch, 58-yard performance. Wentz couldn't get him the ball, although it appeared Jefferson was getting open. But Jefferson spoke to the media after the game, suggesting the offense needs to be simplified moving forward. He argued there are too many talented players for the offense to manage only 178 yards, and he's right. Minnesota now ranks 31st in total yards, and if the Vikings don't figure out the quarterback position this week and get things on track, it feels less likely that Jefferson will be able to hide his frustration much longer. The Vikings have to fix things, and fast.