One of the craziest games of the 2020 NFL season came down to a fourth-and-goal play with 20 seconds remaining, and Russell Wilson was able to connect with D.K. Metcalf at the third time of asking as the Seahawks snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
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STORY OF THE GAME
The story of this game is that there was no real story of the game, but rather several different ones depending on when you were watching. The Minnesota Vikings dominated the first half, taking a double-digit lead and virtually throttling the life out of the Seattle Seahawks offense. Seattle erased all of that and more in just a few minutes of the third quarter before the game became more of an even back-and-forth affair, with mistakes as prevalent as big plays on both sides of the ball.
In the first half, the Vikings came out slinging the ball all over the field in the rain before settling into a rhythm of Dalvin Cook carries. Things changed when Cook left the game injured after halftime, and the inadequacies on the offensive line began to become more obvious, even with Alexander Mattison proving his standing as a very capable backup.
D.K. Metcalf was kept quiet for much of the game but came up big late on, beating Cameron Dantzler for a big play in the fourth quarter and then being the only player Wilson had eyes for when they were looking to punch it into the end zone for the win. Metcalf was just too physical for the Vikings' cornerbacks, each of whom was giving away at least 35 pounds to him.
For Minnesota, this game at least proved that the previous two weeks wasn’t a fluke and that this offense has been dramatically improved, even if they still have issues. It also showed that Mike Zimmer and the defense still have some teeth, as they caused problems for the Seahawks for much of the game.
Rookie Watch
Seattle guard Damien Lewis continued his trend of being impressive as a run-blocker but struggling a little more as a pass-protector on his 52 snaps of action.
Wideout Freddie Swain played 21 snaps on offense, catching both passes sent his way for 14 yards, but neither moved the chains for Seattle. The only other rookie to see time on offense or defense was Alton Robinson on the defensive line, who played 34 snaps.
For Minnesota, Justin Jefferson wasn’t nearly as destructive as he had been in the previous two weeks, catching 3-of-5 targets for 23 yards, two of which moved the chains.
The Vikings’ main rookie contributions came on defense, with corners Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler playing every down. Dantzler was the one most attacked players on the defensive side of the ball, with 11 passes coming his way, and he surrendered 91 yards and a touchdown against some pretty elite competition.
Fourth-rounder D.J. Wonnum played 26 snaps as a situational pass-rusher. He had just one hurry on 23 pass rushes.
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