Minnesota Vikings (8-3)
at
Seattle Seahawks (9-2)
Monday Night Football - Seattle 37, Minnesota 30
Is it me, or does it seem like every time the Seahawks play on Monday Night Football or other night games, the game winds up being a wild and memorable game. Seriously, earlier this season, they had that incredibly tense, back and forth game at San Francisco. They played the Rams in a wild one before that, and barely escaped with a one-point victory. And who can forget the wild game between the Packers and the Seahawks years ago, which ultimately just went in favor of the Seahawks.
Yes, the ‘Hawks always seem to find a way to make these games more entertaining than usual, somehow.
The momentum felt a bit like a pendulum for last night’s game, swinging back and forth between the two teams.
Just when you thought one of the two teams had grabbed the momentum and was on their way to victory, the other team would take it away.
The Seahawks were up 34-17 all of a sudden, and looked capable of blowing out the Vikings. Indeed, it felt like they were exploding, and Minnesota suddenly looked a bit overwhelmed.
Yet, it was precisely at this moment that the Vikings came alive again. They orchestrated a touchdown drive that quickly closed the margin to 10 points, and then just minutes later, Keenum found in the back of the end zone. Made a one-handed grab that looked very impressive, and it looked like it was all Minnesota by that point. They at least appeared to have all of the momentum, and the Seahawks seemed unable to stop them, or even to slow them down.
But somehow, Seattle managed to hang on.
Russell Wilson had another solid day for the Seahawks, completing 21 of 31 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, with one INT. On the ground, Chris Carson picked up 102 yards and one touchdowns on 23 carries.
In a losing cause for Minnesota, Kirk Cousins had a solid day. He completed 22 of 38 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. It was a solid overall performance, although since it was not quite enough to lift the Vikings to victory, and means that he became the first NFL quarterback to lose his first eight starts on MNF, the perception that he cannot win the biggest games will continue to follow him around.
With the win, the Seahawks improve to 10-2. Having beaten the also 10-2 49ers earlier this season, the Seahawks now are on top of the NFC West and, moreover and for the time being, would be the number one seed in the NFC. San Francisco, which has been the top seed for almost the entire season now, suddenly would drop to fifth if the season ended today, despite the 10-2 record which is tied with four other teams (Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore, and New England) for the best record in the league.
As for the Vikings, this loss drops them to 8-4. Still a good record, but they once again fall a game behind Green Bay, after finally managing to tie them last week. But they are still a winning team, and look like a team likely on their way to the playoffs. Also, they played well, and so can take solace in that, even if this was a loss, ultimately. Besides, they still have one game coming up against the Packers, and that will be in Minnesota, a venue where Green Bay had traditionally struggled to win. If the Vikings play as well as they did last night, they just might be able to take that game, and give themselves a chance to capture the NFC North title. They still have plenty to fight for.
My pick: Accurate
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