Seahawks' devastating loss to Vikings gets worse with Kenneth Walker injury
12/22/2024 08:07 PM
The Seattle Seahawks knew they were in for a fight against the streaking Minnesota Vikings. Desperately needing a win to improve their position in the NFC West, the Seahawks took a fourth-quarter lead when Geno Smith hit tight end A.J. Barner with a 4-yard touchdown pass with 4:21 remaining. However, that 24-20 advantage lasted just 30 seconds, because the Vikings took the lead back when superstar wideout Justin Jefferson caught a 39-yard TD pass from quarterback Sam Darnold. The Vikings were able to hold on for a 27-24 victory.
The loss dropped the Seahawks’ record to 8-7 and they are one game behind the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West. The Seahawks close the season with games against the Chicago Bears and Rams, and if they can win both while the Rams lose to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17, they can still win the division title. However, if the two teams end up tied for first place, the Rams would gain the title because they would have the better division record.
In addition to falling short to the Vikings, the Seahawks saw running back Kenneth Walker leave the game with a sprained ankle. He had eight carries for 31 yards with a long run of 11 yards before suffering his injury.
Seahawks unable to respond after Jefferson’s touchdown
The Seahawks had two chances to either tie the score or take the lead after Darnold hit Jefferson with the go-ahead touchdown pass. Seattle got the ball back with 3:51 remaining at their own 30. They went 28 yards in six plays when they faced a 4th-and-15 at the Minnesota 42-yard line. Jason Myers attempted a 60-yard field goal, but it was short.
The Vikings punted the ball back to the Seahawks with 55 seconds remaining. The Seahawks had no timeouts and were forced to drive from the Seattle 12-yard line. On first down, Smith’s first-down pass to D.K. Metcalf was intercepted by Theo Jackson and that allowed the Vikings to run out the clock.
The Vikings improved their record to 13-2. If they can win their two remaining games against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, they will earn the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
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