Scouting report: Vikings at Seattle

October 11, 2020 at 11:30PM
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sunday: 7:20 p.m. at CenturyLink Field (Ch. 11 and KFAN-FM 100.3)

About the Seahawks

• The Seahawks (4-0) led wire-to-wire in a 31-23 win against the Dolphins in Miami last week. This is the Vikings' first road trip of the year without opposing fans, as CenturyLink Field will not have a paid attendance for the third straight home game.

• No NFL offense has scored more touchdowns than the Seahawks through a quarter of the season, with 19 scores; quarterback Russell Wilson has a league-high 16 touchdown passes. Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has flipped Seattle's run-heavy script, throwing on 54% of first downs, per Pro Football Reference.

• Receivers Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf have combined for 701 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in four games, giving Wilson a dangerous tandem at every level of the field. But Metcalf has been particularly dangerous deep, tying the league lead with 25.2 yards per catch.

• Three of Seattle's wins have been one-score games, in part because of a defense surrendering a league-worst 476.8 yards per game to go along with 27.3 points per game. The Seahawks acquired safety Jamal Adams from the Jets in a trade package including two first-round picks, but Adams was sidelined last week with a groin injury and will not play vs. the Vikings.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT | QB Russell Wilson

• Wilson, in his ninth NFL season, leads the league with 9.4 yards per attempt and 75.2% completion. He has thrown only two interceptions.

• Wilson is 6-0 in his career against the Vikings, including the 2015 NFC wild-card game when kicker Blair Walsh missed a potential game-winning, 27-yard field goal. Wilson has 11 touchdowns to three interceptions in those games.

• Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll on the offense leaning on Wilson's arm: "We're trying to feature our strengths and figure out with the players that we have, what they can do well and how we can put them in the best positions. Russell has just evolved so much. He's just so in command of what's going on, and we're just following his strengths that he brings us: his awareness, his command, his timing."

• Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on Wilson's role: "They're obviously letting Russell Wilson be more explosive. I think they're No. 1 in the league in pass average. They've got terrific receivers, they're all fast. [David] Moore has made some great catches. [Greg] Olsen, the tight end, I think that's helped them. They still have [Chris] Carson as the runner and obviously Russell makes them go."

COACH SPEAK | Pete Carroll

• Carroll is in his 15th season as an NFL head coach and his 11th leading the Seahawks, with a 104-59-1 (. 637) regular-season record and a 10-7 mark in the playoffs with one Super Bowl ring.

• Carroll, a former defensive assistant and Patriots and USC head coach, is in a bit of a slump with his once-dynastic Seahawks defense, which hasn't ranked worse than 27th in yardage since his first year in Seattle in 2010. They're 32nd through four games this year.

• On losing home-field advantage at CenturyLink Field: "The whole experience has just been evened out throughout the league. When we've gone on the road, there's been no factor at all, so it's obvious that the factors we've had, just with the crowd noise and their involvement and the craziness that it is to play here, is gone. So, it's down to more pure football."

• On the emergence of receiver D.K. Metcalf: "He can do a ton of things, play all the different spots, run all of the routes, but then he brings his physicality as well. He also has a really good partner in Russell Wilson, in terms of growing in the game and developing the chemistry. They spent a whole month together in the summer."

about the writer

about the writer

Andrew Krammer

Reporter

Andrew Krammer covers the Vikings for the Minnesota Star Tribune, entering his sixth NFL season. From the Metrodome to U.S. Bank Stadium, he's reported on everything from Case Keenum's Minneapolis Miracle, the offensive line's kangaroo court to Adrian Peterson's suspension.

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