The Vikings came up short in a wild game in Seattle Monday night, falling to the Seahawks by a score of 37-30.
Minnesota’s 17-10 halftime lead evaporated in a brutal third quarter as the Seahawks took advantage of a Dalvin Cook fumble – Cook injured his shoulder on the play and did not return – and used it to fuel a 17-point quarter, taking a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter than then turning an interception on the first play of the fourth quarter into another touchdown for a commanding 34-17 lead.
The Vikings immediately rallied with back-to-back touchdown passes from Kirk Cousins to Laquon Treadwell (58 yards) and Kyle Rudolph (2 yards) to trim to the deficit to 34-30. But Dan Bailey’s missed extra point kept the game at four points, and the Vikings would never get closer.
Down four with just over two minutes to go, the Vikings faced a fourth-and-two from their own 42 and Cousins’ pass to Irv Smith Jr. in the left flat fell incomplete. Seattle took over and milked the clock down to under 30 seconds before kicking a field goal to take a 7-point lead with 21 seconds remaining.
It wasn’t all on Cousins, but the quarterback is now 0-8 lifetime on “Monday Night Football.”
Minnesota did not have a miracle in them and dropped to a full game behind the Packers in the NFC North, in addition to the Packers owning a better interdivisional record and the head-to-head tiebreaker pending their Week 16 matchup.
It wasn’t all on Cousins, but the quarterback is now 0-8 lifetime on “Monday Night Football.”
Cook indicated after the game that his injury isn’t serious, and that he didn’t return as a precaution because the Vikings have four critical games to go that he needs to be on the field for.
Up next: Vikings vs. Lions, next Sunday at 12 p.m.
