Vikings vs. Seahawks, Week 9: Several Vikings players no-show in loss

Several key players failed to show up for the Minnesota Vikings in their loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.

Defensively, a once-stingy rushing defense has allowed 100-yard performances on the ground in four consecutive weeks. Against Seattle, Minnesota also only managed one sack and failed to force a turnover.

Despite getting a monster effort from running back Adrian Peterson, the Vikings offense still had trouble moving the ball, especially through the passing game. Though receivers had trouble getting open, the finger will likely be pointed at quarterback Christian Ponder, who isn't solely to blame, according to Daily Norseman:

Christian Ponder has struggled lately. Yes, he's making it difficult for this team to win football games. The thing is that there are other problems on this team, too. Tim Ryan, who was doing color commentary for today's game, noted on several occasions that nobody was getting open down the field. This team misses a ton of blitz pickups.

Even if the Vikings choose to bench Ponder, the future prospects of starting Joe Webb or drafting a quarterback in the offseason are not promising. Ponder and the offense will have to work through their issues going forward and perhaps rely more on Peterson, who appears to be gaining strength every week.

Minnesota will try to get back on track in Week 10 against NFC North rival Detroit Lions.