Pillaging the playbook
Vikings meet the team they want to emulate in key NFC showdown
MINNEAPOLIS — When the Minnesota Vikings grow up, they want to be just like the Seattle Seahawks. Wait, maybe they already are. Time will tell, of course, whether the Vikings can reach the level of dominance the Seahawks set in 2013 and 2014 on their way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory and consecutive NFC championships.
Even in first place in the NFC North, the Vikings (8-3) have more improvements to make before they can be in that conversation.
This year, though, they’ve already surpassed the Seahawks (6-5) in the standings.
With Adrian Peterson again leading the NFL in rushing and fuelling a low-turnover offence, plus a consistently stingy defence and solid special teams, the Vikings have been using a formula for success that’s similar to the Seahawks even if it’s an imperfect comparison.
“What I’ve tried to do is build an organization and an environment here that constitutes winning. We try to win. We try to play smart football. We try to play understanding the quick situations of the game,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.
“I never go into a season saying we’ll be 8-3 or we’ll be 3-8 or anything like that. I just kind of try to get our team to play the very best they can each Sunday. I think having a culture of winning helps.”
The Seahawks have certainly established that. They started 2-4, but they’ve averaged 33.3 points per game over their last three games to climb back into the playoff picture. The defence is still stacked, even if it’s been more vulnerable than in recent years.
“Half of their defence are game wrecker-type players. So we’ve got our hands full,” Vikings left-tackle Matt Kalil said.
Here are some other things to know about the game:
PETERSON PRIMED
Peterson had 125-plus yards in three of the last four games, hitting his stride for the stretch run like he did during his NFL MVP season in 2012. The Seahawks have allowed the seventh-lowest average per rushing attempt in the league, but Peterson gained 158 yards on 29 carries last week at Atlanta, which is now sixth in the NFL in that category.
“It’s always a grind, especially around Week 13, but my body feels good, shoulders, legs mostly importantly,” Peterson said.
REPLACING GRAHAM
The Seahawks will play their first game without Jimmy Graham after the star tight end was lost for the rest of the season when he tore a patellar tendon in his right knee.
The three-time Pro Bowler was on the field for nearly 78 per cent of Seattle’s offensive plays this year since arriving in a trade with New Orleans. He had two touchdowns after totalling 51 scores over his first five seasons in the league, but he was creating openings for other Seahawks receivers simply by being on the field.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Graham’s absence won’t change the scheme. Luke Willson of LaSalle, Ont., who has 12 catches for 152 yards and one score as the secondary tight end, will be the starter.
MINNESOTA MEMORIES
Carroll will make his first visit with the Seahawks to Minnesota, where he served as defensive backs coach from 1985-89 and was hired by Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant.
“I just found him to be an extraordinary person with incredible insight and understanding of people and sports and the world,” Carroll said.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Vikings are 9-4 at the University of Minnesota’s open-air TCF Bank Stadium, the best winning percentage in NFL history for a team playing in a temporary venue. They’ll move downtown into fixed-roof U.S. Bank Stadium next year.
CENTURY MARK
Even with Marshawn Lynch sidelined for 4½ games so far this season, most recently because of an abdominal injury, the Seahawks have made the ground game a priority behind the bruising undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls.
By rushing for at least 100 yards as a team in 22 consecutive games, they’re tied with Carolina for the longest active streak in the NFL.