Penalties against the Seattle defense led directly to two Minnesota touchdowns, and the offense was hampered by pre-snap operation penalties. At the end of the game, the Seahawks had 11 flags for 77 yards.

Although Seattle had a 63-yard (361-298) lead over Minnesota, Seattle’s two turnovers and overall self-inflicted injuries made the difference.

On the other hand, a resurgent Sam Darnold completed 22 of 35 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns against the Seattle defense – two of which were caught by superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Seattle’s defense continued its trend of starting slowly, allowing a first drive touchdown for the third straight game. Minnesota drove 70 yards in 12 plays and capped the possession with a short touchdown pass from Darnold to wide receiver Jordan Addison.

The Seahawks’ offense recorded a first down on just one of its first five drives. Their second drive was effective, however, as Smith fired a shot to DK Metcalf in the end zone on second down from Minnesota’s 25-yard line.

Metcalf shook off former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore and tied the game with an explosive touchdown reception, capping a seven-play, 87-yard drive.

Seattle’s defense fought back against the Vikings’ offense in spurts and did what it could, but was also sparse off the field. The Seahawks made threes on two of their next three drives, and Smith threw a head-scratching interception on the other end while targeting tight end Noah Fant.

This allowed Minnesota to build a 17-7 lead, helped by defensive penalties against Seattle. The Vikings were almost forced to kick a short field goal on their second touchdown drive, but an offsides penalty by Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown gave Minnesota another chance.

On the next play, Jefferson Brown burned in the Seattle corner for a 14-yard touchdown catch, the defense’s first play since Week 6.

Seattle kept it close on the way to the locker room. Smith got the ball back with 1:25 left in the second quarter and completed passes of 20, 12, 13 and 25 yards to get the offense inside the Vikings’ 30-yard line.

A subsequent 18-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba (8 catches, 95 yards, TD) pushed the second-year receiver over 1,000 yards in a season for the first time in his career. Minnesota led 17-14 at halftime.

Seattle received the ball early in the second half and converted that chance into three points. A promising performance was derailed by negative plays and incomplete passes from Smith, but the offense was enough to decide the game early in the third quarter.

Minnesota regained a three-point lead on its next drive before both teams traded punts. Vainless, tough attacks by both teams meant that the next score was not reached until the end of the fourth quarter.

Smith and the Seahawks put together a drive that lasted 11 plays and more than six minutes. With just over four minutes remaining, Smith found rookie tight end AJ Barner in the back of the end zone for a circus-like touchdown reception that gave Seattle its first lead.

Seattle’s defense, now up 24-20, ruined a solid game by inflicting more self-inflicted injuries.

Rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy II sacked Darnold for an 8-yard loss on 2nd-and-10 and was cautioned for a clear facemask penalty to give the Vikings a new set of downs.

Minnesota once again took advantage of the defensive error. Darnold found Jefferson wide open downfield for a 39-yard touchdown on the next play, separating Seahawks defenders Riq Woolen and Julian Love from breaking coverage.

The score came just 30 seconds after Seattle’s final touchdown, giving the Seahawks’ offense plenty of time to act. Their next drive stalled, forcing Jason Myers to attempt a 60-yard field goal with two minutes left. It failed, hurting Seattle’s chances of a comeback.

With two timeouts, Seattle’s defense forced a three-and-out by picking off Vikings running back Aaron Jones and sacking Darnold to bring Minnesota’s punt unit onto the field. The Seahawks got the ball back at their own 17-yard line with 55 seconds remaining to try to tie or win the game.

A false start by right tackle Abraham Lucas moved the ball back five more yards, and Smith threw his second interception of the game on the first play of the drive to end the contest. Smith targeted Metcalf, who took a deeper route than Smith seemed to expect. Vikings safety Theo Jackson secured an easy pick and hammered in the final nail.

Seattle’s chances of reaching the postseason are becoming increasingly slim. Two weeks ago, the Seahawks were firmly in control of their destiny at 8-5. The Los Angeles Rams were 7-6 at the time and were one game behind Seattle for the NFC West title.

Now the Rams are on a four-game winning streak and the Seahawks have lost two straight games after winning four straight themselves. The San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals were eliminated from the playoffs in Week 16.

The only way the Seahawks can stay in the playoff race after Week 17 is if the Rams lose to the Cardinals and Seattle beats the Chicago Bears. Los Angeles will close out the division next week when they beat Arizona.

Since the Washington Commanders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, there is no scenario for Seattle to secure a wild card spot since the Commanders are already three games ahead in the conference record. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if the Rams win next week.

With 15 games played this season, the Seahawks offense remains a dangerous mess. When they’re at full speed, the explosive plays are present and all of Seattle’s playmakers are involved. It sometimes appears during the game — like the 25-yard touchdown against Metcalf — and then disappears.

With most of the season behind them, the Seahawks have had to commit five pre-snap penalties on offense alone due to false starts or illegal substitutions. These procedural issues, particularly at home, should be resolved well before the playoffs approach.

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made 12 run plays and recorded fewer than 15 rush attempts for the second straight week. Seattle is now 6-1 when the ball is passed 20 or more times this season and 3-6 when the ball is handed off less often.

The Seahawks travel to face the Chicago Bears (4-11) on Thursday, December 26th at 5:15 p.m. Los Angeles does not face the Cardinals until Saturday, December 28th. Seattle must beat the Bears and wait for their fate to be determined.

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