The Minnesota Vikings had their fair share of ups and downs in their Week 16 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. In the end, the Vikings’ defense came up with some critical stops and takeaways that allowed them to take the win away from the Seahawks.
Vikings Offense Started Hot
The Vikings offense got off to a great start and were able to methodically work their way down the field on their first drive of the game. Sam Darnold dealt darts to his top three receivers Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson. Aaron Jones started things on the ground with a 14-yard run and no negative yardage on any of his carries on the first drive. They ran 12 plays and used up almost 7 minutes of game time before capping the drive off with a short pass to Addison in the endzone.
Both Teams Struggled, Settled For Punts, Seahawks Get On The Board
On the following drives for both teams, they settled for punts. Seattle’s drive was a 3-and-out while the Vikings’ drive took 7 plays but ultimately had the same result. On the Seahawks’ second offensive drive of the game, they took it to the Vikings’ defense to the tune of a 7-play, 87-yard TD drive. Geno Smith connected with 6 different receivers on a drive that was capped off with a 25-yard passing touchdown to D.K. Metcalf, tying the game at 7. On the next two offensive drives for both teams, they ended up settling for punts once again.
Minnesota’s Offense Gets Going
On the Vikings’ fourth offensive drive, they were able to find pay dirt again after a bit of a dry spell. This time it took them 8 plays, 67 yards, and just under 5 minutes of game time to drive the ball down the field. Darnold had completions to Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson, and CJ Ham on this drive that was capped off by a 14-yard passing touchdown to Jefferson. A defensive offsides penalty on Seattle loomed large after it made a 3rd-and-8 attempt into a 3rd-and-3 attempt that the Vikings were able to convert with the touchdown pass to “Jets” Jefferson for 6.
Defense Forces a Takeaway
The Vikings’ defense forced a turnover on the very first play after the following kickoff when Dallas Turner got his first career INT on a pass from Smith that was intended for Noah Fant. He got a short return on the pick and put the offense in excellent field position at the Seattle 31.
Unfortunately, the Vikings were not able to take advantage of the field position and ultimately settled for a field goal attempt by Will Reichard. The offensive drive stalled after former University of Minnesota Gopher, Boye Mafe, sacked Darnold for a 12-yard loss. The Vikings never recovered but Reichard nailed a 52-yard field goal attempt to extend the lead to 17-7.
Both Teams Settled For Punts Before the Seahawks Scored Again
On Seattle’s last offensive drive before the half, Smith had connections with DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith had one 20+ yard reception by Metcalf to go along with a 25-yard reception by Smith-Njigba. This drive ended with Smith finding Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the endzone for an 18-yard passing touchdown. The Vikings did have one more possession before halftime but they knelt the ball and went into the locker room with a 17-14 lead over the Seahawks.
Both Teams Traded Field Goals
The Seahawks started hot out of the gate in the second half and tied things up with a 43-yard Jason Myers field goal attempt that went through the uprights. Smith connected with Kenneth Walker and Jaxon Smith-Njigba but the biggest play of the drive was from a 20-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Stephon Gilmore. The Vikings responded with an identical 8-play, 40-yard drive that ended with a field goal attempt as well. Reichard made a 48-yard field goal attempt to put the Vikings back on top 20-17.
4 Drives Ended With Punts
The Seahawks’ next drive was a 3-and-out with a booming 51-yard punt kicked by Michael Dickson that Minnesota’s Brandon Powell fair caught. The drive was more successful but ended in a 38-yard punt by Ryan Wright that pinned the Seahawks at their 8-yard line after Jaelon Darden fair caught it.
The biggest play for the Vikings on this drive was a 27-yard completion from Darnold to Jefferson to add to what ended up being Jefferson’s season-high of 144 yards receiving. The following Seahawks’ drive took 11 plays but still ended with a 59-yard punt that Dickson punted out of the back of the endzone for a touchback. The Vikings’ next drive was not any better as it ended in a 3-and-out and a 56-yard punt by Ryan Wright.
Teams Trade Touchdown Drives
The Seahawks capitalized on their following drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith to AJ Barner to give the Seahawks a 24-20 lead after a successful extra point attempt. The Seahawks were able to overcome a holding penalty on what would have been a 13-yard rushing gain by Kenneth Walker. While it took the Seahawks 11 plays to find the endzone and over 6 minutes, it only took the Vikings 4 plays to gain 70 yards and they only took 30 seconds off of the game clock.
Darnold had two big completions to Jefferson but the most important play of the drive came on a sack that was called back due to a facemask penalty that was called on the Seattle defender. The Vikings ended their drive with a 38-yard bomb from Darnold to “Jets” for his second receiving TD of the day. The Vikings took the lead once again with a score of 27-24 after a successful extra-point attempt.
The Seahawks Responded With Field Goal Attempt
The Seahawks’ following drive ended in them attempting a 60-yard field goal by Jason Myers. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, he missed short and the Vikings took over at the 50-yard line. The next drive can only be considered successful in the fact that they were able to run a minute of game time off of the clock. Ultimately the drive only took three plays and the Vikings ended up losing five yards before they settled for another 38-yard punt by Ryan Wright.
Turnover Seals the Victory
The next drive for the Seahawks got off to a bad start when Abraham Lucas got called for a false start. It only got worse for the Seahawks on the next play as Smith attempted to complete another pass to Metcalf. Theo Jackson of the Vikings picked off the pass and sealed the victory. The Vikings knelt the ball twice to run out the clock and improved to 13-2 on the season while the Seahawks fell to 8-7.
Final Thoughts
The Vikings look to keep their momentum going next Sunday at noon CST against the Green Bay Packers in an NFC North matchup in US Bank Stadium. They will be wrapping up their season on either 1/4 or 1/5 against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit.
