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 way on Sunday, but let’s focus on the five snaps he took on two red zone appearances in Seattle’s 27-24 win. While the running game was held to zero yards with one carry in the red zone, Darnold completed four of four passes to 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 dared to cover Jefferson on a single, Darnold threw a great ball into tight coverage for a 14-yard touchdown on third-and-3.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is by no means conservative, but he has tied for a league-low fourth-place points total 10 times this season, winning six of them. With the same 13-2 record, Detroit’s Dan Campbell has hit the fourth goal 26 times. However, O’Connell set an aggressive tone on Sunday’s first touchdown drive, going all-out on fourth-and-3 from the Seattle 40. An excellent play design took advantage of receiver Jalen Nailor to set a pick that probably could have been marked, but it was ‘T. This allowed TJ Hockenson to run a quick out route wide open for an 8-yard gain. Darnold missed a 58-yard field goal attempt and finished the drive going 5-for-5 for 37 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings took the lead with a three-pointer after Seattle tied the game 7-7. Three snaps later, Geno Smith completed a short pass to Tyler Lockett on third-and-3 at the Seattle 19. The first down seemed a given, but cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. immediately dropped Lockett for just a 2-yard gain. Seattle took the lead with a three-and-out and the Vikings took a 14-7 lead on the ensuing 67-yard touchdown drive. That was Murphy’s best tackle on a day in which he matched his career-high 10 tackles (seven solo tackles). Two Seattle possessions later, Murphy forced another three-pointer when he outran Jaxon Smith-Njigba and deflected a deep ball on third-and-8. Smith-Njigba had three explosives (receptions in excess of 16), two against Murphy, and forced a 20-yard pass interference penalty against Stephon Gilmore.

The only points from turnovers came on a possession in which the Vikings offense lost three yards in three plays. The defense handed the ball to the offense at the Seattle 31 when Josh Metellus used a clever blindside pressure to throw the first interception of rookie Dallas Turner’s career. The ensuing “drive” would have been a total buzzkill if it wasn’t for rookie kicker Will Reichard, aka the “Stone Cold Killer.” The nickname special teams coordinator Matt Daniels often uses to describe the kid who turned that idiot from a drive into a 52-year-old. 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 coming while trying to recover from a quadriceps injury.

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