12 Snap Reactions after Vikings at Seahawks

Each week, we feature a “instant reactions” piece detailing thoughts and analysis after the latest Minnesota Vikings game.

12 Instant Reactions After Vikings on Seahawks

This will be unannounced, somewhat random, and hopefully insightful.

The Vikings defeated the Seattle Seahawks 27-24 on the road on Sunday afternoon and have a 13-2 record through 16 weeks.

1 — Fans no longer need to “wonder” about Sam Darnold. He will not face a setback; That would have happened by now. He has money in clutch situations and when Minnesota asks him for a game-winning move, he delivers. Darnold isn’t perfect — most quarterbacks aren’t — but he’s good enough for the Vikings to win a Super Bowl. (Imagine reading this in August).

2 — The Vikings ended a horrific five-game losing streak that lasted 18 years in Seattle. Teams with Harrison Smith on the roster were 0-5 at Seahawks stadium, so it was a bit of a shame he couldn’t attend.

3 – Minnesota has a new litmus test – when effective in the red zone, wins are reflected in the box score. This week Kevin O’Connell’s offense was 2 for 2 in the red zone (touchdowns).

4 — Andrew Van Ginkel blew another game, especially in the 4th Quarter, and we will reiterate that he is the most valuable EDGE rusher of all players in the NFL without a rookie contract.

5 — Aaron Jones contributed 93 yards from scrimmage. If Jones is chewing on the 100-yard mark, Minnesota is tough to beat.

6 – For three hours it felt like a Seahawks-Vikings postseason game. It was a different atmosphere than a regular season game. Simulating such a situation was vital because the playoffs are happening for the Vikings no matter what.

7 — If Minnesota wants home-field advantage throughout the postseason, it needs to beat the Green Bay Packers next week. If they lose, the Vikings would need the Detroit Lions to lose against the San Francisco 49ers the next day and the Philadelphia Eagles to lose one of their last two games.

8 — Punter Ryan Wright and kicker Will Reichard played near-perfectly, a crucial outcome because the game was so close.

9 -If Minnesota had lost this game, the focus afterwards would have been on the inability to make interceptions and offensive contested catches. Relegations hurt the purple team, but in the end it didn’t matter because the result was victory.

10 — Minnesota hasn’t lost a game since the referees missed the dreaded facemask call on Sam Darnold. They are on an eight-game heater.

11 — What a moment for Theo Jackson, who secured the win with his tackle as he recovered from Harrison Smith’s injury. He adapted to the situation.

12 — The Vikings are early 1.5-point favorites over the Packers. The home team usually gets three points at home, so bettors still think Green Bay is a slightly better team than Minnesota.

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dustin baker He is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to daily YouTube Channel VikesNow. The program, which is prepared with 4-7 episodes per week, includes guests, analyzes and opinions on everything related to the purple team. The MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Guilty pleasures listed: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos’, Basset Hounds and The Doors (band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; All contract information provided by OverTheCap.com.