Vikings mum on QB acquisition after 'terrible' Carson Wentz outing

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz checks the scoreboard during a timeout against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter Monday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell deferred to his front office when asked about a potential quarterback acquisition after a Week 9 setback.

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Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz, who played in place of injured starter Kyler Murray in the 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday in Minneapolis, completed just 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards. He also threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and was sacked six times.

"I haven't had many starts over the last couple years in general, but this one felt pretty terrible," Wentz told reporters. "I'm not going to lie.

"Yeah, this one wasn't my favorite, that's for sure."

O'Connell replaced Wentz with backup quarterback Max Bosmer for the Vikings' final drive. He completed 6 of 7 passes for 58 yards on that possession.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills on Monday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI

The Vikings, who started the season with six consecutive wins, dropped their last two games. They own the league's second-best defense, but also totaled the second-fewest yards on offense through nine weeks.

They are set to go on the road for two tough NFC matchups against the surging Green Bay Packers (6-3) and conference-leading San Francisco 49ers (7-1). O'Connell said the Vikings plan to monitor Murray's recovery from a hamstring strain and didn't rule him out for their Week 10 matchup in Green Bay, Wis.

Coach Kevin O'Connell and the Minnesota Vikings, who started the season 6-0, are on a two-game losing streak. File Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI

He also didn't rule out a potential quarterback acquisition ahead of the NFL's trade deadline at 4 p.m. EST Tuesday.

"Yeah, I'll defer to [general manager] Nolan [Teasley] on that," O'Connell said. "We've had dialogue about a lot of different positions. Tight turnaround, obviously, playing the Monday night game before that. We'll get right to work on any potential moves that can be there."

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz grimaces after being tackled against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter Monday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI

The Vikings totaled a season-low 178 yards in Monday's loss. They failed to eclipse 16 points in five of their last seven outings. The Vikings passing offense has yet to throw for more than 213 yards in a game this season. Their aerial attack did not reach the 200-yard mark in six of eight games.

The Vikings rushing offense, which averaged 119.3 yards per game during the six-game winning streak, totaled just 132 over the last two weeks.

They trailed 22-9 in first downs and 339-178 in total yards in Monday's loss. They were out-gained 205-127 through the air and 134-51 on the ground. They also went 0 for 8 on third-down conversion attempts. The Bills held a 42:32 to 17:28 advantage in time of possession.

O'Connell said he "tried a bunch of tools" to help Wentz find a rhythm against the Bills, but he didn't "do a good enough job of doing that." He also said he should have ran the ball more to help the Vikings sustain drives.

"We're 6-2, that's what our record is, but we've gotta go back to work," O'Connell said. "We gotta go back to work and really evaluate what gives our team the best chance to win and play the game accordingly."

The Vikings coach told reporters that he has never had a more challenging time as a play caller during his NFL tenure.

"The issue right now is our preparation is not coming to the stadium with us," O'Connell said. "There is a little bit of a void, where if we can bring some of that, what we see on the practice field to the stadium, we've got to figure that out."

Vikings All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson averaged a career-low 56.1 yards per game through his first seven appearances this season. He failed to reach 100 yards in any of those outings, including a 58-yard effort against the Bills. He secured just three catches off 11 targets.

Vikings running backs Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones Sr. combined for 51 yards off 11 carries in Week 9.

"That's something we've kinda been saying since the season started: the offense has to pick up the slack and we've got to help the defense out a little bit," Jefferson said. "We've just got to figure that out."

The Vikings will take on the Packers at 1 p.m. EST Sunday in Green Bay. The Bills (7-1) will battle the New York Jets (2-7) at the same time in East Rutherford, N.J.

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