Five snaps from the Vikings’ victory in Seattle tell Sam Darnold’s story

Sam Darnold posted his 12th passer rating of 103.5 or higher in his 15th game for the Vikings. So he was good in every aspect Sunday, but let’s focus on the five snaps he took in two red-zone trips during the 27-24 win in Seattle. With the running game held to zero yards on one red-zone carry, Darnold completed four of four passes for three different targets for 31 yards, two of his team’s three third-down conversions and two of his three touchdowns. When Seattle double-covered Justin Jefferson, Darnold found a single-covered Jordan Addison for a 5-yard touchdown. When Seattle was bold enough to single-cover Jefferson, Darnold threw a great ball in tight coverage for a 14-yard touchdown on third-and-3.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is by no means conservative, but he has gone for it in the fourth down of the league 10 times this season, succeeding in six of them. With the same 13-2 record, Detroit’s Dan Campbell has gone for it on fourth down 26 times. However, O’Connell set an aggressive tone on Sunday’s opening touchdown drive by going for it on fourth-and-3 from the Seattle 40. An excellent play design used receiver Jalen Nailor to set up a pick that likely could have been flagged, but which had not been marked. ‘t. That allowed TJ Hockenson to run a quick out route wide open for an 8-yard gain. Missing a 58-yard field goal attempt saw Darnold finish the drive by going 5-for-5 for 37 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings went three-and-out after Seattle tied the game 7-7. Three snaps later, Geno Smith completed a short pass to Tyler Lockett on third-and-3 from the Seattle 19. The first down appeared to be a given, but cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. dropped Lockett immediately for only a 2-yard gain. Seattle went three-and-out and the Vikings took a 14-7 lead on the ensuing 67-yard touchdown drive. It was Murphy’s finest tackle on a day where he matched his career high of 10 tackles (seven solo). Two Seattle possessions later, Murphy forced another three-and-out when he outmuscled Jaxon Smith-Njigba to break up a deep ball on third-and-8. Smith-Njigba had three touchdowns (16-plus receptions), two against Murphy and forced Stephon Gilmore into a 20-yard pass interference penalty.

The only points from turnovers came on one possession where the Vikings’ offense lost 3 yards in three plays. The defense gave the offense the ball at the Seattle 31 when a crafty blindside pressure by Josh Metellus set up the first interception of rookie Dallas Turner’s career. The ensuing “drive” would have been a total buzzkill if not for rookie kicker Will Reichard, aka “Stone Cold Killer,” the nickname special teams coordinator Matt Daniels often uses to describe the kid who turned that dud of a drive for a 52-yard field goal and a 10-point lead. Reichard also made a 48-yarder and three PATs, including one from 48 yards thanks to Jefferson’s 15-yard taunting penalty after his touchdown. Reichard is 32-for-32 on PATs and 17-for-20 on field goals, with two of his three misses as he tried to play through a quad injury.

The Vikings were a little out of sorts as the fourth quarter opened with them leading 20-17. Seattle executed a successful fake punt and gained 2 yards on fourth-and-1 from its 46. The Vikings’ defense was then flagged for too many men on the field, giving the Seahawks a first-and-5 situation and growing momentum. It ended on the next snap when edge rusher Jonathan Greenard — who became known as “The Closer” for his late game-changing plays — sniffed out a screen pass to Kenneth Walker and dropped the running back for a 6-yard loss. It was Greenard’s career-high 16th TFL, topping the 15 he had last year in Houston. Two snaps later, Andrew Van Ginkel had the first of his two sacks, forcing Seattle to punt.