Seahawks vs. Vikings: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Minnesota

The Seattle Seahawks came into TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday and absolutely throttled the Minnesota Vikings by a final score of 38-7. Very little went right for the Vikings, as the Seahawks controlled the game essentially from the start to finish.

Minnesota was able to get off to a strong start, forcing a Thomas Rawls fumble to set up the offense. But the Vikings could not take advantage of good field position, as the offense stalled for the first of many times on Sunday.

Seattle struck back with a long 12-play, 81-yard touchdown drive on its second possession to open up an early lead. Rawls, who fumbled on the first drive, found the end zone from five yards out to give the Seahawks a 7-0 lead.

After punter Jeff Locke pinned Seattle deep in its own zone during the second quarter, Wilson led a dominant 13-play, 98-yard drive to put the Seahawks up by two scores. Wilson called his own name to finish off the drive, scoring on the ground from eight yards out.

Seattle safety Earl Thomas intercepted Teddy Bridgewater, aiming to work the ball down the field to close the 14-point gap, on a pass intended for Stefon Diggs during Minnesota's next offensive possession. Wilson quickly made Bridgewater pay for the turnover, completing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin on the very next play.

By the time the first quarter was over, the Vikings were down 21-0 and had lost primary defensive playmakers Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith due to injury.

The Seahawks continued to put points on the board during the second half, beginning when Wilson connected with veteran running back Fred Jackson on a 5-yard touchdown. Seattle then reached a 35-point advantage on a 53-yard touchdown catch by Baldwin during its next possession.

Cordarrelle Patterson returned a kick for a touchdown to get the Vikings on the scoreboard in the third quarter, but that was it for Minnesota on Sunday.

Bridgewater finished the game 17-of-28 for 118 passing yards and an interception. Adrian Peterson carried the ball only eight times for 18 rushing yards, and Mike Wallace led all receivers with two catches for 42 yards.

Safety Robert Blanton led Minnesota with nine combined tackles, and defensive end Brian Robison added three tackles, which included a pair of sacks. Safety Antone Exum recovered a fumble and contributed five combined tackles as well.

Position Grades for Vikings

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Quarterback: F

Teddy Bridgewater did not play well against Seattle, and it's really that simple. He struggled with accuracy and did not execute his role in the offense well. His interception during the second quarter swayed momentum heavily in the Seahawks' favor and may have been the true turning point of the game.

Running Back: F

Adrian Peterson, who only received eight carries on Sunday, did not play well either. The coaching staff made a mistake not giving him more touches, but his performance in a small sample size was certainly less than ideal. He wasn't given an opportunity to break out due to the Seahawks' substantial lead, but Peterson needs to be better setting the tone early in games.

Wide Receivers: C

The Vikings receivers were potentially the best offensive unit for the team on Sunday—and that's not saying much. Bridgewater struggled to put the ball in their hands, and there were issues getting open, but both Mike Wallace and Stefon Diggs contributed when they were able to make catches. Wallace recorded his longest catch of the season (25 yards), so at least there is that.

Tight Ends: D

Minnesota's tight ends were almost nonexistent against Seattle. Considering that multiple tight ends have found success against the Seahawks defense this season, it was especially disappointing that Kyle Rudolph finished with just three catches and 13 receiving yards. Again, this has a lot to do with the performance of Bridgewater, but this position group needs to be a difference-maker for the Vikings offense.

Offensive Line: F

The offensive line seems to be at the root of every substantial loss Minnesota suffers this season. Bridgewater was under pressure all afternoon, and running lanes were scarce. This unit needs to play better, or the Vikings will never be able to get over the hump and begin beating contending teams with regularity.

Defensive Line: D

The entire defense struggled for the Vikings on Sunday, allowing over 30 points for the second time in three weeks. A lot of these issues began with the defensive line, as both Thomas Rawls and Russell Wilson were able to run the ball efficiently throughout the afternoon. The absence of Linval Joseph is an obvious excuse, but this was simply not a good day for Minnesota's front four.

Linebackers: D

Essentially everything that was said about the defensive line could be applied to the linebackers. Wilson was rarely contained in the pocket, and pressure from the second level never managed to get home. Anthony Barr being knocked out of the game during the first half is an excuse, but this is typically a disruptive group for the Vikings, and it was far from that on Sunday.

Defensive Backs: D

Doug Baldwin shredded Minnesota's secondary, finding the end zone twice with five catches and 94 receiving yards. Tyler Lockett, who added seven catches and 90 receiving yards, was also consistently effective against a beat-up Vikings defensive back group.

This unit clearly needs Harrison Smith if it is to function at a high level.

Special Teams: B

Jeff Locke had one of his better games shifting field position, Blair Walsh converted his only extra-point attempt and Cordarrelle Patterson found the end zone on a kick return. But the coverage units were satisfactory at best, and it was embarrassing to see Patterson celebrating a touchdown down 35-0.

Coaching: F

The Vikings coaching staff did not seem to have an answer for Seattle on Sunday. Any adjustments that were made definitely did not work very well. It was a tough game to call, especially with the Seahawks opening up a big lead early, but Peterson simply has to receive more than eight carries for Minnesota to have a realistic chance to win.

Anthony Barr, Harrison Smith Injured

Jim Mone/Associated Press

The Vikings lost two of their most important defensive players to injury on Sunday, as both Anthony Barr and Harrison Smith left the game during the first half with injuries.

According to ESPN's Ben Goessling, Barr reaggravated a groin injury, and Smith was pulled due to a hamstring injury:

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"Barr left in the first quarter after reaggravating the groin injury that had him questionable for the game, while Smith went to the locker room with a left hamstring injury (on the same leg where he had hurt his knee against the Green Bay Packers two weeks ago)."

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This is about as close to worst-case scenario as it gets for Minnesota. Both Barr and Smith are huge assets to a Vikings defense, which has been one of the best in the NFL this season.

Considering that the Vikings primarily win games with strong defense and a running game, losing arguably the two best players on the defense to injury is a major blow that could really hurt Minnesota's playoff chances if either are forced to miss time.

In terms of how these injuries affected this game specifically, however, Brian Robison was skeptical that there was much they could have done:

"The score was what, 38-7," Robison said. "We got our teeth kicked in no matter what, so it doesn't matter."

Not Enough Action for Adrian Peterson

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Throughout the course of this season, Minnesota has won and lost with Adrian Peterson.

When the All-Pro rusher receives 20 or more carries, the Vikings have a 7-0 record. Consequently, when he is given 16 carries or less, Minnesota now owns an 0-4 record.

On Sunday, Peterson received eight carries and four targets for a grand total of 12 touches. In fairness, it's difficult to get a running back carries facing a multi-score deficit, but the Vikings have to find a way to get their best player more involved in these situations.

Peterson was asked during a postgame interview if he thought eight carries was enough, to which he responded, "What do you think," showing clear frustration regarding his workload against Seattle.

It makes sense that three of Minnesota's four losses this season have been by a margin of 17 points or more, as the Vikings work best when Peterson is running the ball throughout the game.

Everything points to Peterson needing to receive more touches than what he saw on Sunday—even if the Vikings are down a couple of touchdowns heading into the second half.

Zimmer: "We're Not Quite as Good as We Think We Are."

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Head coach Mike Zimmer was not shy about his team's performance against the Seahawks, repeatedly emphasizing how poorly his team played throughout his postgame press conference.

"Offense, defense, special teams," Zimmer said when asked what he's concerned with moving forward. "None of it was good."

He makes a pretty fair point, as the Vikings did not play well at all against the Seahawks. Seattle showed complete dominance over Minnesota, proving that the Vikings still have a ways to go before becoming a true contender in the playoffs.

"We're not quite as good as we think we are," Zimmer said. "Especially if we don't play the way we are capable of playing, then we're definitely not."

Whether it was a poor game plan or lackluster execution, the Vikings were beaten badly by the Seahawks on Sunday. There is no other way around it. With a tough Arizona Cardinals team on the slate for Thursday, Minnesota could be in the midst of its first losing streak of the season if it is unable to kick it back into high gear quickly.

Bridgewater: "We Have to Have a Short-Term Memory."

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Speaking of moving on to Minnesota's matchup with Arizona on Thursday night, the Vikings quarterback addressed just that during a postgame press conference following their loss.

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"We have to have a short-term memory," Bridgewater said. "We have a short week ahead of us, and we have to take the approach that we have to play with a chip on our shoulders. We can't be content with where we are right now, and we have to learn from today and put it in the past."

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For what it's worth, the Vikings have done an excellent job responding to adversity this season. After losing by 17 points to both the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers, Minnesota came back the following week with wins over the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons.

Moreover, the Vikings also earned a big win over the Kansas City Chiefs after suffering a close-game loss to the Denver Broncos back in Week 4.

But the Cardinals are a completely different animal, and Minnesota will be forced to play on a short week in Arizona's home stadium. It already does not look good for the Vikings on paper, and if they dwell on their substantial loss to the Seahawks this week, it seems certain that the team will suffer another major loss in Week 14.

The Vikings are still a good football team, but being consistently blown out by true playoff contenders is definitely concerning. This week's loss to Seattle is yet another reminder that Minnesota still has some work to do before becoming a true juggernaut in the NFC.

Statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.

For more Vikings notes and discussion, find me on Twitter @RobertReidellBT.