Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on Seahawks’ 21-7 win over Vikings

The Seahawks rode a stellar defensive performance to a 21-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings that improves their record to 8-5 and makes a return to the playoffs almost a certainty. As we do after each Seahawks game, we have collected the instant reactions of 710 ESPN Seattle’s voices on the win.

Seahawks beat Vikings | Defense’s best game of year | Photos | Stats

Don’t forget to tune in to 710 ESPN Seattle all day Tuesday for even more reaction and analysis on the Seahawks’ win.

Tom Wassell (Bob, Groz and Tom)

Big game at CenturyLink – what did you expect? Crowd was fired up, defense was fired up. Bobby Wagner had the game of his career, Russell Wilson busts out for a 40-yard run. What is this, 2012?

Tonight was the defense’s best game of the year by a country mile. Plenty of contributions from different guys, too. Nice to see Shaquill Griffin have a bounce-back game in coverage. Justin Coleman, a guy we don’t talk a ton about, plays the game angry. I love that. Jacob Martin combined with Coleman on the knockout punch touchdown to make it 21-0.

Russell Wilson’s weird interception at the end of the first half will likely be lost to history. Fine. January football coming, folks.

Jim Moore (Danny, Dave and Moore)

I thought the Seahawks were going to lose in the third quarter when they led 3-0 because it seemed like a classic case of letting the inferior team hang around, and that typically bites the dominating team in the end.

But the Seahawks prevailed thanks to their defense. I’m guessing if you’re a 12, you loved your defense. But if you were a Vikings fan, you no doubt thought Minnesota’s offensive struggles had more to do with an overpaid Kirk Cousins than Seattle’s defense.

I’d give more credit to the pass rush, though, because it was consistent all night. The best part about Monday night’s game and other weekend results – the Seahawks look like they’ll not only advance to the playoffs but make some noise once they get there.

Bob Stelton (Bob, Groz and Tom)

Best performance of the year by the Seahawks’ defense. There should be no debate about that at all. What made it even more impressive is that the defense had little to no support from the offense until the fourth quarter.

On the rare occasion that it bent, the defense never broke. The poor tackling we saw in the game versus San Francisco, gone. The middle of the field that had been chewed up by the opposition week after week, not there.

Throw in a blocked field goal by Bobby Wagner, a fumble return for a TD by Justin Coleman and a running game that produced 216 yards in total, and you’ve got a huge win in one of the most important games of the season.

By the way, the action green uniforms are still atrocious, but if the Hawks play like this in them then wear them every week!

Mike Salk (Brock and Salk)

Heroes. There were a ton of them for the Seahawks as they put themselves in prime position for the playoffs.

Bobby Wagner’s freak show athleticism. Russell Wilson’s desperate sprint down the sideline. Both running backs making huge plays with speed and power. A goal-line stand against both the run and the pass. Two young corners making huge pass breakups at the most crucial moments. Frank Clark was everywhere. This was a true team effort led by the stars…and nothing could be more indicative of the way this team has come together this year.

The 2018 Seahawks may not be more talented than their 2017 counterpart. They certainly don’t have as many big names. But they are better and they proved it again tonight.

Jessamyn McIntyre (Danny, Dave and Moore)

In a season where expectations were on the low side for many outside the locker room, this Seahawks team is proving as much like any other in the Pete Carroll era that they play for their brothers, dominate on defense and finish.

This performance under the bright lights of Monday Night Football is the perfect microcosm of Carroll-style teams.

Bright spots: Shaquill Griffin’s pass defense, scoring in defense via rookie DE Jacob Martin’s strip sack that led to a Justin Coleman scoop and score, Bobby “Force to be Reckoned With” Wagner and Frank Clark terrorizing the QB to the point of reinventing the market for pass rushers in free agency next year.

Establish. The. Run. The Seahawks handed the ball to Chris Carson three straight times in their first offensive series, which led to a three-and-out. However, their patience in establishing the run did exactly what it was supposed to do, forcing the defense to stay honest. That gave offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer a heck of a reason to open up the playbook, and boy did he. Hard to defend when pretty much anything is coming your way (see: George Fant).

Despite the lopsided win, when the offense stalled it was clear the team was missing Doug Baldwin. Fantastic they could pull off the win without him, but here’s to hoping he’s healthy sooner rather than later.

The Seahawks gave up some big plays but stayed true to their “bend don’t break” identity, and when all was said and done they didn’t just win, they won big.

With a 94 percent chance to make the playoffs now, the sky’s really the limit for this team.

Dave Grosby (Bob, Groz and Tom)

This is a Super Bowl contender type of performance

— Dave Grosby (@Thegroz) December 11, 2018