Russell Wilson, Seahawks’ defense dominate Vikings in 38-7 blowout

MINNEAPOLIS – That is what Seattle has been waiting for.

That game in which Russell Wilson twists a defense in knots while Seattle’s defense grabs hold of an opponent and squeezes until it goes limp. That game that announces the Seahawks’ intention of not just making the playoffs, but making noise in them.

Well, this was that game. A game in which the Vikings weren’t beaten by Seattle so much as they were pantsed. Exposed in front of God, the 52,430 present at the Vikings’ temporary home on the University of Minnesota campus and a whole country who watched on TV.

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38-7. And it wasn’t really that close as the Seahawks showed that December form that’s becoming a holiday ritual. It’s like egg nog if egg nog were capable of holding an opponent to 125 yards, which is what Minnesota finished with. Seattle’s 31-point margin of victory made it the most lopsided Seahawks victory since they beat Buffalo 50-17 in December of 2012.

The Seahawks’ steel-toed defense wasn’t so much as dented by the Vikings and the league’s leading rusher, Adrian Peterson, while Seattle rolled with impunity over a Minnesota defense that was down four starters after linebacker Anthony Barr and safety Harrison Smith left the game in the first quarter because of injuries.

As for Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater? Well, he’s no Russell Wilson.

Then again, no one is. And for the third straight week, Wilson put together an almost impeccable performance with three more touchdown passes and his first rushing score of the season. He made it look easy. When his 53-yard touchdown run was negated by holding penalty toward the end of the third quarter, Wilson threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin on the very next play.

Yep, it was that kind of game. Any way Seattle wanted it, that’s the way Seattle got it. Rookie defensive lineman Frank Clark had two sacks, free safety Earl Thomas intercepted a pass and running back Fred Jackson caught a scoring pass. The Seahawks improved to 13-2 in December with Wilson, and they scored more than 30 points for the third time in four weeks.

Thomas Rawls outrushed Peterson, 101 yards to 18. Heck, Wilson outrushed Peterson. Seattle’s quarterback ran for 51 yards.

Seattle punted once in the game. Minnesota crossed midfield twice. The Vikings’ offense never got within 39 yards of reaching the end zone.

The Vikings trailed by 35 points before they scored, and even then, it wasn’t a result of Minnesota’s offense. Cordarrelle Patterson returned a third-quarter kickoff 101 yards, the first time in four years Seattle had a kickoff run back for a touchdown.

By that time, the Vikings had already spent two hours in Seattle’s woodshed. The Seahawks outgained the Vikings 130 yards to 3 in the first quarter.

The Seahawks took an early lead in spite of themselves. Their first drive was promising, jump-started by Tyler Lockett’s 47-yard return of the opening kickoff. It ended four plays later when Rawls fumbled the ball away and the Vikings recovered at their own 30.

The Seahawks certainly tried to get in their own way on the next possession, with two false-start penalties and another flag for having 12 men in the huddle. Seattle still found the end zone, converting two third downs on the 12-play drive, which consumed more than half the first quarter and culminated in Rawls’ 5-yard touchdown run that allowed the Seahawks to take a 7-0 lead.

The Seahawks scored two touchdowns in the final 2:04 of the second quarter, first with Wilson running in from 8 yards out. After Thomas intercepted a Bridgewater pass that was tipped, Wilson found Baldwin for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:04 left in the half.