Seahawks close in on wildcard with Minnesota victory
SEATTLE: The Seattle Seahawks edged closer to a wildcard berth on Monday after grinding out a 21-7 victory against the Minnesota Vikings.
Two field goals from veteran kicker Sebastian Janikowski in the first and third quarters gave Seattle a 6-0 lead as the Vikings once again struggled on offence.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson then scrambled for 40 yards in a decisive fourth quarter drive to set up a crucial touchdown.
Wilson’s run took Seattle within striking distance and it was running back Chris Carson who delivered the killer blow, crashing over from two yards for the score.
Wilson then found Tyler Lockett in the end zone for a successful two-point conversion to make it 14-0 for the hosts at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field.
A miserable night for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins got worse on the next possession when he fumbled and the ball was recovered by Justin Coleman, who galloped in from 29 yards out to make it 21-0.
Minnesota got on the board with just over one minute remaining in the game when Cousins connected with Dalvin Cook from six yards, but the score was too little too late for the visitors.
“It’s really about the defence. I loved the way they played, they played so hard and so spirited,’’ Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.
The win saw Seattle improve to 8-5 in the NFC, leaving them firmly on course for a wildcard spot.
The Vikings have little room for error after a loss which left them at 6-6-1, second in the NFC North behind the Chicago Bears (9-4).
Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders fired general manager Reggie McKenzie on Monday, less than two years after he was named the NFL’s executive of the year.
McKenzie was let go from the position he had held for almost seven seasons a day after Oakland beat Pittsburgh 24-21 for their third win of the season.
The Raiders announced the move in a brief statement thanking McKenzie for his time in Oakland and wishing him well.
McKenzie’s status was in doubt ever since coach Jon Gruden was given a 10-year contract last January to take charge of the football operation for the Raiders.
McKenzie’s influence had waned since then.