Tag: seahawks vs. vikings

K.J. Wright moves into 3rd place on Seahawks all-time tackles list

Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright is now third in franchise history in tackles, behind teammate Bobby Wagner and Eugene Robinson.

The Seattle Seahawks earned a hard-fought 37-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football – giving them a 10-2 record and a spot atop the standings in the hyper-competitive NFC West.

One of the many standouts on Seattle’s defense Monday was linebacker K.J. Wright, who recorded nine combined tackles and one pass defended.

With those nine tackles, Wright officially moved into third place on Seattle’s all-time tackles list, passing longtime Seahawks linebacker Keith Butler.

Wright also eclipsed 100 tackles on the season, the fifth time in his career that he has passed that mark.

In fact, assuming Wright stays healthy for the team’s final four games, he has a great chance to break his career-high of 130 combined tackles, set back in 2014.

Wright’s performance this year has flown a little under the radar, but considering he only played in five games last year after dealing with a myriad of injuries, it’s impressive he has rebounded so well at age 30.

Wright is now behind longtime teammate Bobby Wagner and former safety Eugene Robinson on Seattle’s all-time tackling list. Wagner hopes Wright will join him in the top-two at some point – but he’s content with him sticking right there.

“It would be really cool if when it’s all said and done it’s Bobby and K.J. right next to each other,” Wagner said in October after he took over as Seattle’s top tackler.

“Obviously, Bobby on top though.”

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Penalty free offense a huge factor in Seahawks Week 13 victory

The Seattle Seahawks only committed one penalty on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings, a big factor in their crucial victory.

The Seattle Seahawks earned a crucial win against the Minnesota Vikings in primetime on Monday night to move to 10-2 on the season.

The defense was exceptional – earning three takeaways and consistently frustrating Kirk Cousins and Minnesota’s offense – but it was a consistent offensive attack that ended up getting the job done against a stout Vikings defensive front.

A big factor was the absence of penalties on Seattle’s offense, something that has been a big issue throughout the year and has been a big emphasis in recent weeks.

“It’s always a point of emphasis for us to have clean hands and no holding penalties, no pre-snap penalties,” left tackle Duane Brown said after the game. “Last week (against Philadelphia) we had some rough areas with that. It’s always a point of emphasis for us. Tonight we played clean and that’s been the difference.”

Seattle as a team did not get penalized until the fourth quarter, when Tre Flowers was called for a defensive pass interference on Stefon Diggs. That was the only penalty called on Seattle all game, a remarkable feat for a team that normally ranks among the most penalized teams in the NFL.

“There’s not been very many times like that,” coach Pete Carroll said after the game. “I’m not quite sure what got into us on that one, but I like it. It was great, it was a really clean game.”

For now, Seattle is atop the NFC West and sits in second place in the entire conference. For that to hold, they’ll need that disciplined offensive line to show up in each of the next four weeks, as penalty issues will certainly hamper their chances of staying atop the very competitive NFC.

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Week 13 snap counts: Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Seattle Seahawks split their running back duo nearly identically in their Monday night victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Seattle Seahawks are officially in first place in the NFC West after defeating the Minnesota Vikings, 37-30, in front of a raucous crowd on Monday Night Football.

One of the biggest successes on Monday was the pairing of Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson in the backfield, as the duo nearly split playing time identically – with Carson getting 39 snaps and Penny getting 35.

Additionally on offense, receiver Tyler Lockett was on the field for 66 snaps despite coming into the game with flu-like symptoms.

Jacob Hollister remains the team’s primary option at tight end, earning 61 snaps, while veteran receiver Jaron Brown saw eight snaps in his first game action after being inactive in each of the last two weeks.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks once again relied heavily on their base 4-3 defense. Mychal Kendricks and Cody Barton had 27 and 11 snaps, respectively, while nickel corner Akeem King had 18 snaps – which equaled 33 percent of Seattle’s defensive plays.

Here is a complete look at the snap counts and playing time percentages for the Seahawks on Monday night.

And for the Vikings:

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Fake punt gives Seahawks rookie Travis Homer his first career carry

The Seattle Seahawks ran a fake punt in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings, giving rookie Travis Homer his first NFL carry.

Seattle Seahawks running back Travis Homer has not had an active role in the team’s offense so far this season. Buried behind Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, and at times C.J. Prosise, the rookie has not had a chance to show what he can do coming out of the backfield.

Instead, Homer has made a living as a core special teamer, first primarily as a hitter and more recently as a kick returner, a role he has held the past two games while Tyler Lockett recovered – first from a leg injury and then from the flu.

Monday night’s game not only saw Homer return two kicks for 51 yards, but he also got a surprise carry – on a fake punt the Seahawks ran in the fourth quarter on fourth and two.

Homer not only easily converted a first down, he scampered 29 yards down the sideline to give Seattle excellent field position.

“The guys did it beautifully,” Carroll commented after the game. “The timing was exactly right.”

Homer’s role is steadily growing with the Seahawks, and while he’s still buried on the running back depth chart, his strong play on the special teams will make him an invaluable piece of this team going forward.

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Seattle Seahawks Week 13 player of the game: Rashaad Penny

Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny had his first career two touchdown game, en route to his second straight player of the week.

The Seattle Seahawks always keep things interesting, and what was shaping up to be a blowout turned into a narrow 37-30 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

It wasn’t the prettiest game (is it ever?) but the player of the game honor – for the second week in a row – goes to running back Rashaad Penny.

Penny, who has been nearly non-existent for the majority of the season, carried the ball 15 times for 74 yards and a touchdown, while also hauling in four receptions (on five targets) for 33 yards and a touchdown on a screen pass – giving him his first career two touchdown game.

“I thought Rashaad looked so fast tonight,” coach Pete Carroll commented postgame. “He just looked so explosive. The screenplay was a beautiful call, beautiful execution. It just showed that burst that he has and why he’s so exciting.”

While Carson outgained Penny, rushing 23 times for 102 yards, it was Penny’s work as both a receiving threat and a runner out of the backfield that gave him the honor this week.

Seahawks fans have been waiting nearly two years for the 1-2 punch of Penny and Carson to show up together in the same game, and the duo picked a great game to finally do it – as the win gives Seattle sole possession of first place in the NFC West, where they hold the tiebreaker over San Francisco.

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Instant analysis of Seattle’s 37-30 win over Minnesota

The Seattle Seahawks won yet another thriller on Monday Night Football, this time beating the Minnesota Vikings, 37-30, to move to 10-2.

A back-and-forth affair on Monday Night Football resulted in a narrow Seattle Seahawks victory, 37-30, over the Minnesota Vikings.

The win brings the Seahawks to 10-2 on the season, and gives them sole possession of first place in the NFC West over the 49ers – who have an identical record but who Seattle holds a tiebreaker over.

The Seahawks and Vikings kept things close in the first half, with Minnesota heading into the locker room with a 17-10 lead after drilling a field goal as time expired.

The score would have been tied had it not been for a bizarre interception thrown by Russell Wilson. Wilson threw a pass that was batted away at the line by defensive tackle Armon Watts. Wilson attempted to knock the ball through the air to a receiver but it was instead picked off by defensive back Anthony Harris who ran it in for a touchdown.

Seattle rebounded with a strong third quarter however, as the team rattled off 24 unanswered points, 17 in the third, thanks to a one-yard touchdown run from Rashaad Penny, a Jason Myers field goal and a 60-yard bomb from Wilson to David Moore with five seconds remaining in the quarter. It was the first passing touchdown of the game for either side.

Seattle carried that momentum into the fourth, with a Tre Flowers interception leading to the second passing touchdown of the game, this time a 13-yard reception by Rashaad Penny – his second score in another remarkable performance for the second-year pro.

However, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins got in on the fun shortly after, finding Laquon Treadwell on a 58-yard touchdown to bring the score within 10.

Seattle looked to have the game in hand midway through the fourth, but a costly DK Metcalf fumble allowed Cousins to march back down the field, and he found veteran Kyle Rudolph for a touchdown to bring the game within four, thanks to a missed PAT by Dan Bailey.

Seattle managed to hang on however, and while it wasn’t pretty, and Wilson certainly didn’t do anything to help his MVP candidacy, (240 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 98.9 passer rating) the Seahawks are now in possession of first place in the NFC West, and dramatically improved their odds of securing a playoff spot and potentially a first round bye.

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3 things to watch: Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Seattle Seahawks will take over sole possession of first place in the NFC West with a win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

The Seattle Seahawks have an absolutely critical game lined up against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

If Seattle wins, they will not only move to 10-2 on the season – but they will hold possession of first place in the NFC West and a potential bye week in the playoffs.

Should they lose, they would fall all the way to sixth place in the NFC, barely clinging to a playoff spot with just four games remaining.

So you don’t need me to tell you how important this game is for the rest of Seattle’s – and Minnesota’s – season.

However, outside of the actual implications of a win/loss, there are a handful of other key storylines for fans – and fantasy football owners – to pay attention to on Monday night.

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