Vikings at Seahawks Game Observations: Sam Darnold to Justin ...
The Vikings trailed the Seahawks for 30 seconds of game time but needed a fourth-quarter comeback led by Sam Darnold in Sunday's 27-24 win at Seattle.
Darnold did damage with his arm and legs during the go-ahead effort, but his toughness may have been his best attribute, helping the Vikings improve to 13-2 on the season.
He opened the drive with a 12-yard pass to Justin Jefferson (on first-and-15) and followed with a 9-yard scramble.
Darnold showed his mettle, getting back up after a big hit by Jarran Reed that forced an incompletion. He was then pulled down by his facemask by rookie Byron Murphy II.
Officials flagged the infraction, moving the ball 15 yards to the Seattle 39-yard line.
Darnold was shown by cameras grimacing as his legs were rolled up on during the would-be sack by Murphy, but he eluded pressure on the next snap and launched a strike to Jefferson, who was able to get behind two Seattle defenders when Darnold kept the play going.
Darnold finished 22-of-35 passing for 246 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. His passer rating was 112.3.
He's now thrown 32 touchdowns on the season, which is one shy of a record set by Brett Favre among Vikings QBs in their first season with the team.
Jefferson finished with game highs of 10 catches, 144 yards and two touchdowns. He moved past Anthony Carter for fifth on Minnesota’s all-time receptions list during the first half.
Jordan Addison added five catches for 35 yards and started the day's scoring with a 5-yard pass from Darnold to conclude Minnesota's first possession of the game.
T.J. Hockenson added two receptions for 27 yards, including a nice toe-tap that converted a fourth-and-3 during Minnesota's first possession.
Aaron Jones, Sr., added 26 yards on three catches to go along with 67 yards on 18 rushing attempts.
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell became the first in team history to record 13 or more wins in two separate seasons, accomplishing the feat in just his third year on the job.
Here are four more observations presented by Minnesota Eye Consultants, the Proud LASIK Partner of the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a scoring summary:
1. Take two
Theo Jackson picked a fine time for his first pick of 2024.
The reserve safety and special teamer helped a group that was playing without Harrison Smith (foot) for the first time this season.
Jackson nabbed a throw by Geno Smith intended for DK Metcalf to end Seattle's final possession with one snap. Jihad Ward put pressure on Smith before the pass.
It was the second interception of the game for the Vikings, who came close to having three others.
Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Blake Cashman all had their hands on footballs but could not complete the catches.
Rookie outside linebacker Dallas Turner recorded Minnesota's first interception of the game with less than 6 minutes remaining in the first half.
He stopped Seattle on its first play after Jefferson's first touchdown, enabling Minnesota to start its next drive at the Seahawks 31, leading to a field goal and 17-7 edge with 3:33 left in the first half.
2. GINK's sequel
It's a rarity, but the sequel might have been better for Andrew Van Ginkel.
The outside linebacker recorded two sacks on the day, taking his career-best total to 11 on the season.
Van Ginkel's second sack followed Seattle covering 33 yards in two plays right after Minnesota took the lead.
He was able to turn a first-and-10 from the Minnesota 37 into a second-and-17.
Gilmore broke up a pass on the next play, nearly picking the offering, and Minnesota limited the Seahawks to a gain of 2 on a short pass on third-and-17.
Seattle opted to have Jason Myers try a 60-yard field goal, but the kick was short.
Van Ginkel's first sack also was impressive. He worked through a double team to take Geno Smith down for a loss of 6 on a third-and-11 to force a punt and protect a 20-17 edge with 12:21 remaining.
Seattle had attempted 33 dropbacks before Van Ginkel's first sack.
3. Middle 8 less than great
A big key to the 2022 Vikings success was the team's performance in the middle 8 minutes of games (the final 4 of the first half and first 4 of the second).
That second of the game wasn't good Sunday for the Vikings.
The offense got the ball at its 29 with 1:57 remaining in the first half, but back-to-back pass plays were broken up to set up a quick third-and-10 and prevent any time from ticking off the clock.
A pass to Addison on third-and-10 gained 7, and he was pushed out of bounds, again stopping the clock.
Seattle got the ball at its 12 with 1:25 remaining in the first half.
The Seahawks drove 88 yards in just five plays (excluding a snap that didn't count because of a holding penalty against Stephon Gilmore.
Geno Smith completed passes of 20 and 12 to Metcalf before hitting Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 13 and 25 before the penalty. Smith followed with an 18-yard touchdown to Smith-Njigba to make it 17-14 Vikings with 20 seconds remaining in the first half.
Seattle got the ball to start the second half and drove 40 yards on eight plays to tie the game with a 43-yard field goal by Myers.
4. Strong day for special teams
The Vikings had a strong day on special teams.
Will Reichard made field goals of 52 and 48 yards. He also was unaffected when a 15-yard penalty against Jefferson for excessive celebration after a touchdown made the extra point a 48-yard effort.
Ryan Wright punted a whopping six times, averaging 50.0 on the nose. He booted a 63-yard and pinned four inside the 20.
Wright's final effort was a good showing of directional punting. It traveled 41 yards before going out of bounds at the Seattle 14 with 55 seconds remaining.
