The Seattle Seahawks’ (7-5) dominating 38 to 7 win over the Minnesota Vikings (8-4) Sunday afternoon in Minnesota was a classic Seahawks win. So classic it brings back memories of a classic rock and roll song. The quandary is which classic song is most fitting to bestow on the two-time NFC Champions’ return to grace. Back in Black by AC/DC or the Kids are Alright by The Who? Back in Black is fitting because for the first time this season the Seahawks have won three games in a row and Sundays win was a tag team effort between an efficient offense and a stifling defense. The Kids are Alright because Seattle’s 2015 rookie class played a significant role in the Seahawks beat down of the Vikings.
The Seahawks one offensive hiccup ( a fumble ) occurred in the team’s opening drive and once that minor respiratory setback was treated, Quarterback Russell Wilson continued his red hot play by leading the Seahawks offense to three scoring drives on its next four possessions, a Thomas Rawls five yard TD run, an 8 yard TD run by Wilson was followed by a 20 yard TD pass from Wilson to Baldwin with four second left in the first half. The Seahawks last drive in the first half was set up by an Earl Thomas interception. In the last three games Wilson has passed for 879 yards no interceptions and has scored 11 touchdowns.
The Seahawks defense continued its dominance after the halftime break when it forced a Viking punt after the Vikings offense had received the ball to start the second half. Wilson and his marauding offense wasted no time as it scored on its first possession of the second half, when Fred Jackson grabbed a five yard pass from Wilson to give the visitors a 28-0 lead with 9:12 left in the third. Another Minnesota punt led to another Wilson to Baldwin pass play, this time for 53 yards and a 35-0 lead for the visitors. The TD catch was Baldwin’s fifth in three games.
NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson was held to a career low 18 yards on eight carries. “I just think the defense, the way we are playing the way we play, and the offense, the way they are playing right now, there’s really not a team that can beat us,” Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner told Seahawks.com after the game.
Minnesota’s only bright spot was a 101-yard kickoff return by Cordarrelle Patterson after the Baldwin touchdown. To say it was too little to late would be a massive understatement. A 23 yard field goal by Steven Hauschka with eight minutes left in the game closed out the scoring for both teams. When the final whistle blew the Seahawks had one of their most dominant wins of the season.
For Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll the win was extra special in that his three rookies played integral parts in the team’s win.Thomas Rawls rushed for 101 yards (his fourth 100-yard game), receiver Tyler Lockett had a season high-high seven receptions and defensive tackle Frank Clark a season-high two sacks.
“Really exciting to see,” Carroll said after the game. “That’s exactly what we hope happens, and we’re going to need a lot more from them as we go down the stretch.” With the kids playing well it seems the Seahawks are back and the kids are truly alright.
With the victory the two-time defending NFC champion Seahawks climbed further into the playoffs picture following a 2-4 start. The Vikings fell back into a first-place tie with Green Bay for the NFC North lead three days after the Packers beat Detroit on a desperation pass on the last play.
