Grading the Seahawks’ 21-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings

Here’s how the Seattle Seahawks grade out in their 21-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night at CenturyLink Field:

OFFENSE

While Seattle’s offense has often carried the Seahawks this season, that wasn’t the case Monday. Quarterback Russell Wilson had his worst game throwing the ball this season, going 10-for-20 for 72 yards and coughing up an awful interception from the 1-yard line at the end of the first half. The running game piled up the yards — 214 on 42 carries — but was less effective when reaching scoring position as Seattle was just 1-for-4 in the red zone. The Seahawks clearly missed the presence of receiver Doug Baldwin, who sat out the game because of a hip injury.

Grade: C-

DEFENSE

This performance harkened back to 2012-15, when the Seahawks led the NFL in scoring defense four straight seasons. Seattle’s secondary blanketed Minnesota’s receivers, turning 98-catch receiver Adam Thielen into a non-factor. The Seahawks twice stopped the Vikings on fourth-and-1 to snuff out scoring chances. Seattle made all its tackles in the open field, an issue that caused problems in previous games. And Seattle sealed it with a defensive touchdown, scored when Justin Coleman returned a fumble for a TD. The points and yards generated by Minnesota came in garbage time.

Grade: A

SPECIAL TEAMS

One way to make the special teams pop is to have star linebacker Bobby Wagner on the unit, as his blocked field goal by hurdling the offensive line midway through the fourth quarter preserved a 6-0 lead — though there are questions about whether Wagner’s actions were legal. Punter Michael Dickson had a poor punt from his own end zone prior to the blocked field goal that set up the Vikings on a short field in a crucial spot. Returner Tyler Lockett had limited opportunities, and Sebastian Janikowski made all his kicks.

Grade: B

COACHING

Credit the Seahawks’ coaches with coming up with a defensive scheme that took away what Minnesota wanted to do, as Thielen wasn’t even targeted until midway through the third quarter. Seattle also used some creative personnel packages on defense, including some sets with seven defensive backs which proved effective. The Seahawks’ time management at the end of the first half, however, was poor as they allowed too much time to run off the clock and left themselves without options at the goal line.

Grade: B

OVERALL

While it wasn’t always pretty, it was yet another victory for the Seahawks, their fourth straight, and it came against a quality opponent. This one didn’t technically clinch a playoff spot for Seattle, but for all intents and purposes it did. The Seahawks effectively have a three-game lead on the teams chasing them for an NFC wild-card spot because of tiebreaker criteria. Seattle is looking more and more like a team no one wants to face come playoff time.

Grade: B+