So, apparently the Seahawks hosted the Vikings on Monday night in December of 2018 as well, and I have somehow TOTALLY blocked it out of my memory. We won 21-7 and I absolutely couldn’t tell you a thing about it.
You know what’s burned into my memory, though? 2017, home against the Kirk Cousins-led Washington Redskins. The Seahawks were 5-2 heading into what was supposed to be an easy walk-over. After some early-season struggles, we were on the right track and looking to maybe go on a nice little run for the division. Instead, we lost to a 3-4 team that was banged up beyond belief, made all the more traumatizing by the fact that we led by 4 points with 94 seconds to go in the game and we gave up a 35-second touchdown drive to Cousins & Co.
We all learned a lot from that game. We learned that the Seahawks’ championship window was closed for the previous (L.O.B.) era, and that the 2017 squad was pretty mediocre (we would go on to finish 9-7 and outside the playoffs for the first time since Russell Wilson entered the league). We learned that Kirk Cousins wasn’t as terrible as we had originally thought, and that he could lead a team into any stadium and come away victorious if everything broke right. We learned that the Seattle crowd wasn’t as impactful as it used to be, and that we were probably still living off of our 2012/2013 reputaton. Most importantly, we learned this team isn’t infallible at home, and the trauma of this defeat has stuck with me to this very day.
This is the third year in a row we’ll see Kirk Cousins. No, I won’t take him lightly.
The more I look into it, the more things are starting to come back to me. While I don’t necessarily remember playing or beating the Vikings last year, I do remember they fired their offensive coordinator – John DeFilippo – right around this time, and indeed it was immediately following their loss in Seattle (where they scored 7 points, late in the fourth quarter). The Vikings immediately implemented a run-heavy approach to their offense and went 2-1 the rest of the way.
That’s carried over into this year, where the Vikings – to the surprise of no one – are 8-3 and in the thick of things for the NFC North. Regardless, they should find themselves in the postseason this year, and it makes sense. They’ve got a rock-solid defense (better up front as opposed to their secondary) so all you need to do is be careful with the ball on offense and you should win more than you lose.
That’s been the Seahawks Way for years, and if there’s a head coach who’s emulated Pete Carroll’s style from day one, it’s Mike Zimmer.
The teams that give the Seahawks fits are the teams who play the most like the Seahawks. The wildcard in all of this is actually Kirk Cousins, who – while I won’t take him lightly – is the one most likely to give the game away with crazy turnovers. I haven’t seen him do that a whole lot against the Seahawks, per se, but I’ve seen him look bad in primetime games enough to know he’s got a reputation as someone who doesn’t always show up in front of a national audience.
Whereas, the Seahawks almost ALWAYS show up in primetime. It’s kind of our thing. You remember, we’re the team who has the best winning percentage on Monday Night Football. Giving us two MNF games in 2019 is like gifting us two free wins at the start of the season!
And, in case anyone thought the fanbase was getting jaded (I’ve been more critical of the home crowd in recent years than anyone), we’re coming off of a weekend where the 49ers just got their second loss, which means that a Seahawks victory puts us in the driver’s seat for the division AND in the second seed in the NFC with four more games to go.
Winning tonight would be so huge. We’ve got to stay within a game of the 49ers, as it looks like whatever happens, our showdown in Week 17 is going to decide the division. Even if the 49ers lose to the Saints next week, they host the Falcons and Rams the next two weeks, and should easily win both of those games. Meaning, we could be perfect the rest of the way – coming into the final week with a 1-game advantage – and STILL not have the division locked up!
Even beyond that, though, it’s going to take everything we have to keep up with not just the 49ers, but the Saints and Packers as well. My obsession is a first round BYE at this point (also, not for nothing, but actually being the 2-seed is probably better than the 1-seed, as the 1-seed will most likely have to face the 49ers in the Divisional Round if the Seahawks were to do everything right).
Anyway, getting back to tonight, while I’m taking nothing lightly, I think this game could actually be sort of a cakewalk for the Seahawks. I know we haven’t really seen any of those this year, but again we’re talking about December. We’re talking about the time of year where the Seahawks start to kick it into high gear. We’re coming off of two games in a row where the defense has looked good, and if that trend continues, I see no reason why we shouldn’t put up some serious points against a weak Vikings secondary. I’d also hope for a nice bounce-back game from Chris Carson.
Something in the realm of 34-13 for the good guys.