A Wild Wilcard Weekend
Written by William Somerville, Former Student on Thursday, January 14, 2016
Seahawks squeaked past the Vikings this week in one of their wildest wildcard weekends in Seattle history beating. The defending NFC champions squared off against the division winning Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Hawks would not only have to deal with a revenge hungry Vikings team, but also the weather. The game temperature ranged from around -6 to 0 degrees, with a wind chill of -20 below at times. This game was by no means a cake walk like their last matchup. The cold weather seemed to have a great impact on both teams as both their offenses stumbled and staggered the entire game. The matchup still managed to have many exciting plays, even if it was a low scoring game.
The first points in the game would be a gift to the Vikings after Seattle’s punter Jon Ryan received a bad hike and decided it would be best to scramble, but he fell just short of the first down. That led to a Vikings field goal in the first quarter. The next explosive play wouldn’t be until the fourth quarter when there was broken play by the Seahawks and the ball was hiked over quarterback Russell Wilson’s head. Wilson capitalized on the opportunity and threw for a critical first down pass to wide receiver Tyler Locket, leading to the game’s only touchdown of the game for either team.
The score was 10-9 late in the fourth quarter with the Vikings driving down the field on a mission to win the game, only trailing by one point. The Vikings then set up for a 27-yard field goal to win the game. A 27-yard kick is considered an easy shot by fans standards. With an unusual turn of events, the field goal was hooked left by elite Viking kicker Blair Walsh, sealing a Seattle victory.
The Seahawks played tough through the whole game and pulled out a victory, even if it was closer than they would have liked. Some fans have expressed concerns that the team looked ill offensively on Sunday. Fans should remember that it is unlikly that this is the same team they will see next week against the Panthers. The main reason Seattle sputtered through the game was the cold weather. It was the third coldest game in playoff history, which was absolutely a huge factor in their performance. Wilson admits that the team didn’t play well through the first three quarters, but got the play they needed to. It took a lot of mental fortitude to play in that environment. The extreme weather made any communication between coaches and players difficult. Coach Carroll also noted that in that kind of temperature, the game is played differently since the ball simply doesn’t travel as far. The game becomes a battle of defenses, and that’s exactly what it was. Two outstanding defenses slugging it out for the win.
It was a hard win, but the offense fans saw shouldn’t be expected for the rest of the playoffs. Seattle will be hungry to bounce back against Carolina next Sunday, and to prove just how resilient the team is.
