By NICK PATTERSON
The Daily Herald (Everett)
Here’s how the Seattle Seahawks grade out in their 10-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Sunday’s wild-card playoff game:
OFFENSE
For three quarters the Seahawks accomplished almost nothing offensively. Seattle was shut out in the first half for the first time this season, quarterback Russell Wilson had issues throwing the ball in the cold, and the Seahawks finished with just 226 yards of offense, by far a season low. However, Wilson’s improvisational ability saved Seattle’s bacon, and Christine Michael (70 yards on 21 carries) at least gave the Seahawks some semblance of a running game.
Grade: C-
DEFENSE
Wilson’s magic and Minnesota’s missed field goal at the end will get the headlines, but it was the defense that won this game for Seattle. The Seahawks allowed the Vikings just 183 yards, limited Adrian Peterson to 45 yards on 23 carries, and all three Minnesota scores came on short fields. Strong safety Kam Chancellor’s forced fumble in Vikings territory set up the fourth-quarter field goal that made it 10-9. The only blip was allowing Minnesota to get in field-goal range at the end.
Grade: A-
SPECIAL TEAMS
Seattle had issues on special teams, with a botched punt snap and Derrick Coleman’s personal foul in punt coverage setting up two of Minnesota’s field goals. Kicker Steven Hauschka, who wasn’t allowed to attempt a 47-yard field goal in the cold conditions in the first half, nailed a 46-yarder for the eventual winning score. Neither team was particularly effective in the return game as both coverage teams did their job for the most part.
Grade: C
COACHING
Seattle had all kinds of problem with clock management, particularly in the first half, and was forced to burn timeouts — though it was revealed that issues with the headsets was part of the problem. Defensively the Seahawks dialed up the right things at the right times, particularly in choosing when the blitz in the second half. But the game’s decisive plays had little to do with coaching.
Grade: C
OVERALL
The historic cold conditions — it was minus-6 degrees at kickoff, tying for the third-coldest game in NFL history — played a huge role in the way this game went, making conventional evaluation irrelevant. But while it wasn’t pretty, any victory in the playoffs looks good. Now the Seahawks head to top-seeded Carolina next Sunday for the divisional round with the notion that fate is on their side.
Grade: B
