Seattle- After the San Francisco 49ers lost a thriller to the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 20-17 on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks had the opportunity to jump from a #5 seed to a #2 seed and take over their division. All the Seahawks had to do was take care of business against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings struck first as they scored on a Dalvin Cook five-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 in the first quarter. On the ensuing drive, Russell Wilson drove his team down the field and Chris Carson finished the drive off with a one-yard touchdown to tie the game up 7-7. With under five minutes left in the second quarter the Vikings’ defense stepped up and caused a turnover. Wilson was picked off by Anthony Harris and Harris ran it back to put the Vikings back up 14-7.
After the pick-six, Wilson went right back to work. Wilson threw a couple of slant passes to DK Metcalf and Rashaad Penny to get them back into striking distance. After a 15-yard run by Penny to put the Seahawks on the 10-yard line of the Vikings, the Seahawks were in business. However, the Vikings’ defense stood tall as they kept the Seahawks out of the endzone and the Seahawks had to resort with kicking a field goal, to make it a reasonable 14–10.
With 1:15 left before the half, Kirk Cousins drove his team down the field and gave Dan Bailey a chance to attempt a 47-yard field goal attempt. The attempt was successful and the Vikings extended their lead to 17-10 at the half.
On the Seahawks’ first possession in the third quarter, the Seahawks gave the Vikings trouble with their running attack. Both Carson and Penny combined for 37-yards on the ground as the Seahawks drove down the field and scored on a one-yard touchdown pass to Penny to tie the game up 17-17. On the next possession, Bradley McDougald stripped Cousins and the Seahawks recovered the fumble at the Vikings 26-yard line. The Seahawks had to resort to a field goal to go up 20-17.
Wilson threw a 60-yard touchdown bomb to David Moore which put the Seahawks up 27-17. On the ensuing drive, Tre Flowers intercepted Cousins and the momentum shifted. Penny scored another touchdown to extend the lead 34-17. Cousins responded to the Seahawks’ score and threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead 34-24. On the ensuing drive, the Vikings came up big as their defense forced a fumble. After the fumble, Cousins took his team down the field and threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph, but missed the PAT to cut the lead 34-30. The Seahawks ice the game with a field goal at the end of regulation 37-30.
