Vikes Views: Sunday King – Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Seattle Seahawks 27-24.

Sam Darnold

The stats aren’t going to blow you away with Darnold yesterday. 246 yards, 3 TDs, 0 turnovers. Just a clean, efficient performance from the vet QB. Darnold protected the ball, managed the game and gave the team every chance to win. That throw to Jefferson for the winning TD is ridiculous. He steps up perfectly and finds the best receiver in the league. Jefferson and Darnold had to be on the same page there. The WR broke his route outside when he saw the safety lean inside to the post route that was called.

Justin Jefferson

Speak of the devil. Jefferson is torching defenses all day. He beats double coverage on a regular basis. He saw an opening and took it on the game winning TD. Jefferson has a lot of pressure on him to handle that spotlight. The weight he carries allows the team to develop and flourish around him.

Andrew Van Ginkel

I work with a Dolphin fan. He went on and on about Van Ginkel pre-season. I didn’t listen. I was sleeping on him. All Van Ginkel does is figure out how to make plays. 2 sacks and both huge. 3rd down sack to end a drive near midfield to start the 4th. He sacked Geno Smith for a huge 6 yard loss a few plays before the missed FG from Seattle. That second sack was after a couple of big completions and what seemed like an inevitable scoring drive by the Seahawks. Love to see this dude play and his friends and family having fun attending the games are awesome.

Josh Metellus

Metellus had big shoes to fill yesterday. He got the nod for a larger role with Harrison Smith out. He stepped up so well, as he always does. He’s all over the field all the time. Injuries can stack up pretty quickly. The Vikings were able to not rush Harrison Smith back because Metellus was available. Couldn’t quite get a sack or a pick, but he was everywhere.

Theo Jackson

Theo doesn’t get much playing time. He sits behind future HOFer Harrison Smith, NFL Choreographer and Safety Cam Bynum and utility man Josh Metellus. He made the most of his 21 snaps yesterday, especially his last one. Anytime you end up with a game sealing pick in the 4th quarter of a 1 score game, you get a nod from me.

Honorable Mentions

NFL Refs – they do know what a facemask is. Also, it’s easy to get biased decisions in a place like Seattle with that crowd. The first taunting was a good call as Jefferson danced. The 2nd was just for dancing about 10 seconds too long. Probably could’ve just let that go.

Dallas Turner – 1st career INT. He’s had a slow start to his rookie year. Hoping this can propel him to contribute down the stretch.