A Tale of Two Halves- Seahawks beat the Vikings, 30-20

Coming into the game, the Seahawks’ matchup with the Vikings was expected to be a defensive, ground and pound type of game with the two leading rushers in the NFL on either side. However, this was not exactly how it played out. Adrian Peterson set the tone early with a 74 yard run on the opening series of the game and a one yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead. The entire first half seemed to continue like this as Peterson and the Vikings gashed the fifth best run defense in the league. The Hawks run defense looked awful, but for the first time this season, the offense bailed them out.



Adrian Peterson ran wild on the 'Hawks in the first half, but the second half was a different story.

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images North America

Russell Wilson had a spectacular first half, throwing for three touchdowns and two being to Golden Tate. Wilson was laser accurate and was only plagued by some early drops, a reoccurring theme from two weeks ago against the 49ers. Marshawn Lynch ran the ball well to add to the offensive power, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and tiring out the Vikings defense.

However, the vaunted Seahawks defense looked out of sorts, taking the wrong angles and not shedding their blocks quick enough. This happened all over the field, allowing huge holes for Adrian Peterson to run through. I sure didn’t expect this to happen and the bad defense kept the Vikings in it the entire game, even though our offense was seemingly unstoppable. I would say that the Seahawks grinded out a 20-17 lead at halftime, but that’s not what it was at all. They took advantage of a Percy Harvin fumble, one of the few defensive highlights in the first half, and moved the ball consistently through the air, but couldn’t slow down the Vikings on defense. However, the second half was a completely different story.

Russell Wilson and Golden Tate hooked up for two amazing touchdowns on the day.

Stephen Brashear/Getty Images North America

The Hawks defense came out with a completely different energy and attitude in the second half and got a good stop on the Vikings’ first series, after punting it away themselves. It was really clear that locker room adjustments were made, which Pete Carroll is a master at, and the Hawks defense started flying to the ball, even coming up with an interception. The Vikings running game continued to roll, but there were a couple defining numbers that showed how big the Hawks defense came up when it had to: 3 points in the second half for the Vikings, and only 63 yards passing for the Vikings in the entire game. The Vikings didn’t help themselves out either by only giving Adrian Peterson the ball five times in the entire second half.

Brandon Browner came up big late with an interception to seal the game for the 'Hawks.

Associated Press: Elaine Thompson

The Seahawks offense slowed a bit in the second half, but still did what they needed to do. The big second half story was really the defense and how they stepped up when they had to. They put Christian Ponder under pressure constantly and stepped up in their coverage of the pass, as the Vikings moved to the air game since they were down in the game.

Overall it was an up and down game for the Seahawks, but it turned out to be a big victory at home. The defense faced some challenges and adversity, but they responded well in the second half and helped lead the ‘Hawks to a big win. Obviously the offense played very well in the passing and running games, but I think it was the defense in the second half that sealed the win for the Seahawks.

Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup! Like us on Facebook as well! Keep checking back for more updates!

Jackson