1. Darnold was gold in the red zone
Sam Darnold posted his 12th passer rating of 103.5 or higher in his 15th game for the Vikings. So he was good in every aspect Sunday, but let’s focus on the five snaps he took in two red-zone trips during the 27-24 win at Seattle. With the running game held to zero yards on one red-zone carry, Darnold completed four of four passes to three different targets for 31 yards, two of his team’s three third-down conversions and two of his three touchdowns. When Seattle double-covered Justin Jefferson, Darnold found a single-covered Jordan Addison for a 5-yard touchdown. When Seattle was daring enough to single-cover Jefferson, Darnold threw a great ball into tight coverage for a 14-yard touchdown on third-and-3.
2. O’Connell’s rare fourth-down gamble pays off
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t conservative by any stretch, but he has gone for it on fourth down a league-low 10 times this season, succeeding on six of those. Sporting the same 13-2 record, Detroit’s Dan Campbell has gone for it on fourth down 26 times. O’Connell, however, set an aggressive tone on Sunday’s opening touchdown drive by going for it on fourth-and-3 from the Seattle 40. An excellent play design used receiver Jalen Nailor to set a pick that probably could have been flagged but wasn’t. That allowed T.J. Hockenson to run a quick out route wide open for an 8-yard gain. Passing up a 58-yard field goal attempt set Darnold up to finish off the drive by going 5-for-5 for 37 yards and a touchdown.
3. Muscle matches Murphy’s career-high 10 tackles
The Vikings went three-and-out after Seattle tied the game 7-7. Three snaps later, Geno Smith completed a short pass to Tyler Lockett on third-and-3 from the Seattle 19. The first down seemed a given, but cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. dropped Lockett immediately for only a 2-yard gain. Seattle went three-and-out and the Vikings took a 14-7 lead on the ensuing 67-yard touchdown drive. That was Murphy’s finest tackle on a day that saw him match his career high of 10 tackles (seven solo). Two Seattle possessions later, Murphy forced another three-and-out when he outmuscled Jaxon Smith-Njigba to break up a deep ball on third-and-8. Smith-Njigba did have three explosives (receptions of 16-plus), two against Murphy, and forced a 20-yard pass interference penalty on Stephon Gilmore.
4. Reichard really is the ‘Stone Cold Killer’
The only points off turnovers came on a possession on which the Vikings offense lost 3 yards in three plays. The defense handed the offense the ball at the Seattle 31 when a crafty blindside pressure from Josh Metellus created the first interception of rookie Dallas Turner’s career. The ensuing “drive” would have been a total buzzkill if not for rookie kicker Will Reichard, aka “Stone Cold Killer,” the nickname special teams coordinator Matt Daniels often uses to describe the kid who turned that dud of a drive into a 52-yard field goal and a 10-point lead. Reichard also made a 48-yarder and three PATs, including one from 48 yards thanks to Jefferson’s 15-yard taunting penalty after his touchdown. Reichard is 32-for-32 on PATs and 17-for-20 on field goals, with two of his three misses coming when he tried to play through a quad injury.
5. Greenard’s career-high TFL perfectly timed
The Vikings were a bit out of sorts as the fourth quarter opened with them leading 20-17. Seattle executed a successful fake punt, gaining 2 yards on fourth-and-1 from its 46. The Vikings defense was then flagged for too many men on the field, giving the Seahawks a first-and-5 situation and growing momentum. That ended on the next snap when edge rusher Jonathan Greenard — becoming known as “The Closer” for his late game-changing plays — sniffed out a screen pass to Kenneth Walker and dropped the running back for a 6-yard loss. It was Greenard’s career-high 16th TFL, topping the 15 he had last year in Houston. Two snaps later, Andrew Van Ginkel got the first of his two sacks, forcing Seattle to punt.
