Seahawks Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on 37-30 win over Vikings

The Seahawks came back from a halftime deficit to beat the Vikings 37-30 on Monday night, improving to 10-2 on the season, tied with four other teams for the best record in the NFL.

Seahawks 37, Vikings 30: Recap | Playoff picture update | 3 stars | Stats

As we do after each Seahawks game, we have collected the initial reactions from some of 710 ESPN Seattle’s hosts to get an idea of what you’ll be hearing all day Tuesday on the air.

Jim Moore – Bob, Dave and Moore

Give the game ball to the offensive line, or give it to Chris Carson or Rashaad Penny, who combined to pick up 176 of the Seahawks’ 218 yards on the ground. That’s the one-two punch they’ve been looking for since they drafted Penny in the first round last year. And they did all of this against a Vikings’ run defense that was ranked sixth in the league entering Monday, allowing 94.2 yards a game.

The Seahawks moved into first place in the NFC West at 10-2 and are in a weird spot this coming weekend. If you’re a Seahawks’ fan, do you pull for the 10-2 49ers to lose to the 10-2 Saints on Sunday? I would say yes since the division title should be the No. 1 goal. But you could rightfully argue that you’re pulling for the 49ers to beat the Saints since New Orleans has the tiebreaker over Seattle after beating the Seahawks earlier this season. That could come into play for seeding purposes given the importance of finishing with the best record in the conference, resulting in a bye and two home playoff games before the Super Bowl.

However it turns out, the Seahawks turned in another impressive performance Monday night, especially with their top receiver, Tyler Lockett, going catch-less, no doubt bothered by flu-like symptoms that prevented him from practicing all week. And the defense might have given up 23 of the 30 points, but it was productive all night long, coming up with a Tre Flowers interception and a fumble recovery by Bradley McDougald.

If you asked me, I would have said the Super Bowl was a pipe dream at the start of the year, but it’s a realistic possibility now.

The Groz – Every day at 11:45 a.m. with John Clayton

Another day, another epic game at CenturyLink. When we look back one day at the Pete Carroll era, this game would be a good representative. It had everything we’ve seen over the past 10 years and have come to expect from Carroll’s Seahawks. Physical, rough, bruising, opportunistic, risky as well as nerve-wracking and of course puzzling. How did they run out of timeouts with 4 1/2 minutes left in the game?

One immediate takeaway after the win over the Vikings, who are the sixth seed in the NFC, is that the top tier of the NFC is awesome this year. Minnesota looked beaten, then the Seahawks cracked the door open and the Vikes nearly crashed all the way through. The Seahawks, Niners, Saints, Packers and Vikings are all very good football teams who have played some memorable games already among each other, with several more to come before playoff time.

It was good to see such a dominant performance by the run game against a normally stout Minnesota defense. The Seahawks are adept at grinding teams down and that’s been a key to their success in close games this year. What also stood out to many is how much better the Seahawks’ defense has been the last month. Save for one glaring error, they had a solid night. Special teams did their part in a total team win.

On the downside, it is apparent that Tyler Lockett has not been the same since his injury in San Francisco and the passing game is struggling a bit. But all in all this is a great win to get to 10-2. Now on to Los Angeles to deliver a death blow to the Rams’ playoff hopes with a good old-fashioned bludgeoning – Pete Carroll style.

Bob Stelton – Bob, Dave and Moore

The Seahawks just can’t seem to stand prosperity. A comfortable win? Nah! Let’s make it exciting and keep the fans on the edge of their seat.

I was standing with friends when the Hawks went up by 17 points and the conversation around us was something along the lines of “It will be nice to see this team come away with a comfortable win.” We all looked at each other with that knowing look of that’s not how the Hawks do it.

BUT! I think by this point as Seahawks fans, we’re at peace with it. I would prefer a comfortable win but there is a sense of confidence when it’s late and the game is close. Yyou just know as a Hawks fan that they’re going to find a way to win. It’s just what they do. As per usual, there were breakdowns on defense, turnovers on offense, curious use of timeouts, etc. But they always find a way to come away with the win.

What a great day for the running game against one of the best run defenses in the league. Chris Carson goes for over 100 yards and a TD while Rashaad Penny has another great day with 74 yards and a TD on 14 carries.

Tre Flowers continues to progress with another interception and Jadeveon Clowney and Jarren Reed return from injury to have some much needed impact on the defensive line.

The bottom line is that it’s rarely pretty, but this is just who the Hawks are – a flawed team that finds a way to get the win. A 10-2 record and first place in the NFC West is where this style has brought them. Enjoy it, Seahawks fans!

A couple of final thoughts on the Seahawks big win. @710ESPNSeattle pic.twitter.com/TYaZ8OGBXc

— Bob Stelton (@BobStelton) December 3, 2019

Tom Wassell – Tom, Jake and Stacy

Yet another game where so much happened that it’s tough to remember every key moment off the top of my head. Let’s stick with a few themes.

I said on Monday’s show that for the first time all year, I trust the defense. I trust them to make big plays at the right time. I trust them to be tough and not come apart when things start to go wrong. I trust them to be physical and I trust them to keep on getting better. All of these things are happening. Look no further than Ziggy Ansah and Rasheem Green, who have finally come alive over the past few weeks to make huge contributions. It feels like this is a different team entirely when those guys are contributing.

How about Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny? We all expect Carson to carry the load, which he does, but the way he just bruises through the defense over the course of a game has to take its toll. Now that Penny is a true change of pace, I’m not sure how you stop this run game. He is lethal when he A) is healthy, and B) has even a little help from the line to open up holes here and there. Both guys had huge games this evening and to an extent took some of the pressure off of Russell Wilson to not have to do everything himself.

Yes, there were three mistakes that could have cost the Seahawks the game. A pick-6, a blown coverage and a fumble by DK Metcalf led directly to 20 Minnesota points and let the Vikings back in the game, but again, they didn’t panic. As soon as it looked like the game was going to get away, all three parts of the team came together. The defense locked down, the offense got first downs and scored again, and special teams even faked a punt! That was one of my favorite plays of the year.

Bottom line: This team is getting better every week. There are other very good teams in the NFL, but how many of them are showing the kind of week-to-week improvements that the Seahawks seem to be showing? Let’s hope that the health of the team can hold together, and this should be a fun ride through December and into January!

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