The Seattle Seahawks defense will be tested again.

Insider: What you should know about the Seattle Seahawks’ crucial matchup with the Vikings

After facing a strong and balanced Green Bay Packers offense a week ago, the Seahawks host the Minnesota Vikings and their talented group of playmakers on Sunday at Lumen Field.

The Vikings’ offense is led by standout wide receiver duo Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, former Pro Bowlers TJ Hockenson at tight end and Aaron Jones at running back, and a breakout season from Sam Darnold at quarterback.

The group leads a balanced attack similar to what Seattle saw against Green Bay, which scored 20 first-half points and touchdowns in its first two drives against the Seahawks last week.

Michael Bumpus, a Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver, recognizes the similarities between the opponents but points out that there is a particular aspect of the Vikings’ offense that will present a major challenge for the Seahawks.

“You see a similar offense where there will be moves, flats and wheel routes, but what the Vikings do that intrigues me the most is the play action,” Bumpus said Wednesday during his Four Down Territory segment on “Bump and Stacy” by Seattle Sports. “…Sam Darnold figured out how to be a magician with football.”

Nearly half of Darnold’s 29 TD passes this season came from play. According to Pro Football Focus, he leads the NFL with 14 TD passes and 10.9 yards per attempt while running the concept. He is also third with 1,361 passing yards.

Play-action success has helped the talented Jefferson amass 1,243 receiving yards – second in the NFL – while Addison has added 771 yards and Hockenson 351 in his seven games since returning from ACL and MCL injuries yards added.

A key for the Seahawks is to limit Jones and the ground game to prevent Minnesota from getting its play-action game. Jones ranks ninth in the league with 979 rushing yards and the Vikings rank 16th as a team with 113.2 yards per game.

“If they get the running game going with Aaron Jones, that’s obviously going to open up the flow of the game, and with the receivers they have there, there can’t be any missteps in the secondary,” Bumpus said. “… A false step is something like what happened to Coby Bryant when they played the Cardinals, on that first touchdown. Coby turns his gaze to the backfield, he takes a step forward and the receiver is standing next to him. That’s what play action does.”

That’s a Michael Wilson touchdown for you!!! pic.twitter.com/OakXWTy7b0

– Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 8, 2024

According to Bumpus, staying true to his defensive duties will be paramount in defending Minnesota’s dangerous action game.

“When you’re ahead, you set the edge. If you have deep thirds, go deeper than the deepest,” Bumpus said. “You have to be disciplined because that’s one of the reasons why and how Sam Darnold is having the year he’s having.”

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More coverage of the Seattle Seahawks

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• Lefko: Signing the Seattle Seahawks was a risk that is now obvious
• Bump: The factors behind the Seahawks’ problems in the red zone
• Stacy Rost’s 3 things to know for the Seahawks-Vikings matchup
• Breaking down the Seahawks’ NFC West title and playoff odds

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