Seahawks to face Minnesota next Sunday in wild-card round
Jan 3, 2016, 9:47 PM | Updated: 9:50 pm
The Seahawks, who will face Minnesota next Sunday, previously beat the Vikings 38-7 on Dec. 6. (AP)
(AP)
BY
Former Seattle Sports Lead Editor
The Seahawks will open the postseason against the Vikings in Minneapolis, that wild-card game kicking off at 10:05 a.m. next Sunday.
That matchup was set Sunday night with Minnesota’s win over Green Bay, which gave the Vikings the NFC North title and the conference’s No. 3 seed. The Seahawks and Packers finished with identical 10-6 records, but Green Bay won the tie-breaker for the fifth seed by virtue of a head-to-head victory over Seattle in Week 2.
And so the Seahawks end up with the No. 6 seed and a return trip to Minneapolis, where the Seahawks hammered the Vikings 38-7 on Dec. 6 in one of their most complete performances of the season.
Seattle finished the game with a 433-125 edge in total yards, converted nine of 13 third-down opportunities and didn’t allow a defensive touchdown as Minnesota’s only points came via a kickoff return. Quarterback Russell Wilson played one of the best games of his career, completing 21 of 27 attempts for 274 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 51 yards and a score.
The weather in Minneapolis figures to be much worse for the rematch. The listed temperature for the first meeting was 37 degrees, but the forecast for next Sunday calls for a high of 16 degrees, according to weather.com.
Finishing with the sixth seed means the Seahawks will be on the road as long as they remain in the playoffs. With a win over Minnesota, Seattle would play the top-seeded Panthers in the divisional round. The NFC title game would then be against either Arizona, Washington or Green Bay.
Arizona, the No. 2 seed, has a first-round bye while Green Bay plays at No. 4 seed Washington in the late game next Sunday.
Seattle had two other potential first-round destinations: at Washington and at Green Bay. A Vikings win over Green Bay meant the Seahawks were heading to Minnesota regardless of the outcome of their game against Arizona, meaning Seattle’s 36-6 win didn’t end up impacting its playoff picture.
