Table of Contents
Three immediate impressions from the Seahawks’ 27-26 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night at CenturyLink Field:
They’re 5-0
Just another Seahawks Sunday, eh?
There is a lot to dissect from this one, certainly. Russell Wilson threw a fourth-quarter interception … and when was the last time he didn’t come through in the clutch?
Let us cook up an answer for that: Never!
Wilson and the Seahawks appeared done after he was intercepted by Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson with 5:56 left. The Vikings offense then drove to the Seattle 6-yard line and had a chance to put the game away, only for Bobby Wagner and Benson Mayowa to combine on a fourth-and-1 tackle of Alexander Mattison.
That gave Wilson one last chance to go for the win with 1:57 left and 94 yards to go.
The Seahawks got there. Because of course they did.
DK Metcalf came up with a ridiculous 39 yard, jump-ball catch on fourth-and-10 to keep the drive alive. The second-year sensation then dropped a sure touchdown catch in the right front corner of the end zone, only to come back two plays later and make a diving catch across the middle on fourth down — on the winning 6-yard throw from Wilson with 15 seconds left.
At this point, this team has conditioned us to expect this kind of drama every week. How much longer can your heart take this?
Keep away from Russ
Seattle’s offense was spotty, at best, on Sunday night. Chris Carson had just eight carries (for 52 yards and, it should be noted, brilliant 29-yard touchdown run during a dizzying third quarter). DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett each had three catches. Sure, the offense didn’t have the ball long enough to get into much of a rhythm, but it also didn’t take advantage of the chances it had.
Give the Vikings defense credit. It had the best game plan we’ve seen yet against this new iteration of the Seahawks offense.
They pressured Wilson, for one, finishing with four sacks and nine QB hits.
They also held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, and shut out the Seahawks in the first half — the first time that’s happened since the Seahawks’ blowout loss to the Rams in December 2017.
The Vikings, most impressively, ate up 8:11 off the clock, covering 97 yards on 15 plays to score their final touchdown on a Kirk Cousins pass to Adam Thielen.
In the end, the Seahawks, as usual, had just enough time and did just enough to stay undefeated.
A wild third quarter
The Seahawks defense struggled, again, to make key stops in key situations for much of the game. But much like the end of the New England and Dallas games, they got the one stop late when they needed it on fourth down.
The Seahawks did force a couple of big turnovers in the third quarter, giving the offense prime field position to find its footing.
Cousins had turnovers on back-to-back possessions inside Minnesota territory. The first was a fumble caused by Damontre Moore and recovered by K.J. Wright, a play ruled a fumble after a review.
Wright then made a leaping interception Cousins at the Minnesota 29, setting up Carson’s touchdown run.
But the Seahawks also gave up 449 yards to a Minnesota tame that came in with a 1-3 record and played without star running back Dalvin Cook (groin) for most of the second half.
The Seahawks miss star safety Jamal Adams, clearly. The good news is he could be back in two weeks, after Seattle’s bye.