Carson Wentz made his second start of the season for the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, and the Buffalo Bills left U.S. Bank Stadium with a 23-6 win, dropping the Vikings to 6-2, while Buffalo improved to 7-1.

And just like that, Minnesota has fallen to third place in the NFC North. On offense, with Wentz under center, absolutely nothing changed. In fact, the results were even worse than what we witness when Kyler Murray was trying to see over the offensive line in weeks past.

Luckily, the Vikings GM Nolan Teasley can still fix what has been ailing this team all season, and that is bad quarterback play. The NFL trade deadline isn’t for another 15 hours, meaning there’s still hope to save a season that, on paper, still looks pretty good.

Carson Wentz sinks MN Vikings vs Bills

Wentz’ struggles began immediately when Minnesota’s offense took the field, when one of their first plays from scrimmage was a backwards pass that sailed high on Justin Jefferson. He couldn’t handle it, the Bills recovered, and then scored the first points of the game via Tyler Bass field goal.

Of course, that was only the start. The MN Vikings defense kept them in the game yet again, but Wentz would go on to throw 2 more interceptions, 0 touchdowns and just 81 total yards on 8/25 passing. It was hands-down one of the worst quarterback performances in franchise history… and we’ve had some clunkers.

Eventually, it got so bad that Wentz was replaced by Max Brosmer as the crowd of 70,000+ at U.S. Bank Stadium changed from boos to roars at the QB change. But we all know what tonight’s letdown really means.

Teasley has no choice but to go out before the 3 p.m. CT deadline tomorrow and find a legitimate starting quarterback who is trustworthy enough to complete a few passes and maybe even get a first down or two. Is a passing touchdown too much to ask?

Ian Rapoport: MN Vikings are “gonna explore their options”

Well, on that note, ESPN NFL insider Ian Rapoport brought some good news for Vikings fans, with the Bills up 13-6 early in the fourth quarter. Joining the on-field alternate ESPN broadcast of the game, Pat McAfee asked Rapoport bluntly if the Vikings plan to try and save their season before the trade deadline.

Rapoport replied that they, in fact, have changed their minds from earlier in the day and now plan to “explore their options” at the quarterback position, going as far as to name the only two options that make midseason sense, Daniel Jones or Kirk Cousins.

Well, I know the Minnesota Vikings are gonna explore their options. They actually have two pretty good options… Kirk Cousins, who obviously played for them, played for Kevin O’Connell. The Raiders have showed no indication they would trade him. But at least they could call and see what is there. And then they have Daniel Jones, who obviously was in their building a couple years ago on the practice squad, still playing for the Colts… Those are two pretty solid options who could be had for draft pick compensation that wouldn’t kill the Vikings. I would expect them to at least look into it tomorrow.

Ian Rapoport – ESPN

Rapoport didn’t report talks in progress, necessarily, but there’s no way he goes as far as to say the Vikings “are gonna explore their options,” if they aren’t trying to make a change.

Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones come with roadblocks

For those who may have forgotten, Kirk Cousins played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2018 to 2023, including two seasons under O’Connell. As of earlier Monday, the Raiders were reportedly showing no sign it would move their veteran placeholder QB1. But that was before the nation watched Carson Wentz’ debacle tonight.

Daniel Jones, meanwhile, is currently starting games for the Indianapolis Colts, where he has struggled in his second season as “The Guy”. Coming off of achilles surgery, he’s tossed for 1,722 yards, six touchdowns and 10 interceptions in nine starts. He’s also a former Viking, though Jones never actually got on the field after signing.

Tom Pelissero (The Ringer, Netflix) reported on Nov. 7 that the Colts told teams they aren’t trading Jones, then on Nov. 8 that they told Jones the same. We covered that report over the weekend. But again, things change quickly in this league.