Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings Recap: Vikings Blow Opportunity, Lose 10-9

They had it. They really, really had it.

And then. . .Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings held the two-time defending NFC Champions scoreless for three quarters on Sunday afternoon, but allowed ten fourth quarter points and missed what should have been a chip shot field goal at the end of the game to fall to the Seattle Seahawks by a final score of 10-9.

The Vikings got on the scoreboard first, thanks to a 22-yard field goal by Blair Walsh. That was preceded by Seattle punter Jon Ryan attempting to run for a first down after a bad snap and getting stopped short by the Vikings' special teams, setting the Vikings up with very good field position. And, well. . .that was all the scoring for the first half of play. Three whole points, as the Vikings took a 3-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

On Seattle's first drive of the second half, they moved into Minnesota territory and went for it on 4th-and-3 from the 30, and Russell Wilson's pass was deflected and intercepted by rookie Trae Waynes for the first pick of his career, thwarting a Seattle scoring opportunity. Minnesota took advantage of the turnover, though all they could muster was another Blair Walsh field goal, this one coming from 43 yards away to make the score 6-0 in favor if Minnesota. The Vikings kept turning to Walsh, as he hit a 48-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the third quarter to make the score 9-0 in favor of the Vikings.

Seattle got onto the board early in the fourth quarter, as Russell Wilson found Doug Baldwin for a 4-yard touchdown pass to make the score 9-7. The score was set up on a play that saw the snap go over Wilson's head, and Wilson picked the snap up and calmly found Tyler Lockett for a 35-yard gain. Lockett was all alone, and the Vikings' defense had to chase him down to prevent the score.

On the Vikings' next drive, the fumble bug came back and bit Adrian Peterson once again. Peterson caught a pass from Teddy Bridgewater in the right flat, and Kam Chancellor stripped the ball away from him with Seattle recovering. The Seahawks took advantage, with Stephen Hauschka hitting a field goal from 46 yards out to give the Seahawks their first lead of the afternoon at 10-9.

The Vikings got one last opportunity with 1:42 left on the clock, starting at their own 39-yard line. A pass interference penalty on Kam Chancellor put the Vikings into Seattle territory, and Teddy Bridgewater then found Kyle Rudolph all the way down to the 17-yard line. The Vikings got Blair Walsh into position to attempt his fourth field goal of the afternoon, this one from 27 yards out. . .and Walsh missed it wide to the left.

Yes, Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal that would have put the Vikings ahead 12-10, and he wasn't even close.

The Seahawks ran out the clock from there, and the Vikings' season ended by a final score of 10-9.

The stats for the Vikings weren't great. Adrian Peterson gained just 45 yards on 23 carries, and also had the crucial fumble that allowed the Seahawks to take the lead. Teddy Bridgewater completed 17-of-24 passes for 146 yards, and Stefon Diggs led the Vikings with 26 receiving yards on four catches.

For Seattle, Russell Wilson completed 13-of-26 passes for 142 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Christine Michael led Seattle in rushing with 70 yards on 21 carries, and Doug Baldwin led the Seahawks in receiving with 42 yards and a touchdown on five receptions.

The Minnesota Vikings' 2015 season is over, ladies and gentlemen, as they fall to the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 10-9 at TCF Bank Stadium. Thank you to everybody that got their coverage of this week's game, and this season's action, right here at The Daily Norseman.