MINNEAPOLIS – Shame on them.
The 60,000-plus Minnesota Vikings fans at the Metrodome on Sunday should have known.
Hadn’t they seen the Seattle Seahawks melt down in the final two minutes of last Monday night’s loss to Dallas?
Hadn’t they heard about the inexplicable loss to the St. Louis Rams in October?
Hadn’t someone let them know that the Seahawks hadn’t beaten an opponent with a winning record in nearly two years?
Apparently not, because thousands of fans began filing out late in Sunday’s Vikings-Seahawks game, only to miss another classic ending.
This time, Seattle came out on the winning end, although the Seahawks did just about everything they could to keep hope alive for the home team.
An end-zone interception by playmaking safety Michael Boulware and a wraup by defensive end Antonio Cochran on the final play of the game helped Seattle hold on to a 27-23 win over the Vikings.
“We needed a win,” said quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. “Our backs were up against the wall a little bit because of us not being able to get it done in some close games this year. These last four games were going to be real important, and we knew that.”
The win, combined with Carolina’s win over the Rams, meant the Seahawks (7-6) moved back into sole possession of first place in the NFC West. It also marked the first time since the 2002 season finale that Seattle beat an opponent with a winning record.
Minnesota (7-6) had two chances to pull ahead in the final 2:09, but couldn’t become the latest team to mount an improbable comeback on Seattle.
Boulware thwarted a trick play by intercepting a pass thrown by wide receiver Randy Moss in the end zone with 2:09 remaining with Seattle leading by four. The Vikings got the ball back with 44 seconds to go, drove all the way to the Seattle 23-yard line, then gave the fans a split second of hope on the final play.
Cochran ran down Culpepper in the backfield, wrapped him up and appeared to throw him to the ground as time expired. But Culpepper rolled over Cochran’s body, officials ruled that the quarterback’s knee never hit the turf, and Culpepper apparently kept the play alive while Seattle players and coaches stormed the field in celebration. Culpepper fired a pass to open tight end Jermaine Wiggins in the end zone, who failed to hang on but held the ball up as if he had scored.
Those left in attendance went nuts, as did several Vikings players, causing a few Seahawks to look around quizzically. But after a short meeting, officials ruled that the pass was indeed incomplete.
On replays, Culpepper’s knee appeared to touch the ground, and when he fell on Cochran it gave the impression that the play was dead. But no one heard a whistle, and officials eventually signaled an incomplete pass.
“I thought I got a sack,” Cochran said. “And everybody on the sideline thought I got a sack.
“I wondered what was going on. I was starting to celebrate, and the next thing I know everybody was listening on the field. I thought the game was over. I thought it was a sack, done deal, let’s go home.”
The Vikings took advantage of the Seahawks’ struggling run defense early to put together long scoring drives on their first two possessions. Minnesota’s 10-0 lead look eerily familiar, considering the Vikings had taken a 13-0 lead over Seattle en route to a 34-7 victory last season.
But the Seahawks responded with two touchdown drives, taking a lead of 14-10. At halftime, Seattle led 21-20 behind Hasselbeck’s 211 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Both offenses were moving the ball at will, yet the second half told an entirely different story.
Two teams that had combined for 491 yards and 41 points before halftime, had just 338 total yards and nine points after.
The Vikings took what would be their final lead when a Morten Andersen field goal put them ahead 23-21 just 3:02 into the second half. Seattle’s Josh Brown countered with a field goal of his own five minutes later, then added an insurance three-pointer with 3:40 remaining in regulation.
That’s when the Metrodome crowd began to thin, with the offense sputtering and very little hope that the team could mount a comeback. Seahawks fans watching at home undoubtedly knew that things were only beginning to get interesting.
The Vikings drove 53 yards in three plays, aided by a 33-yard pass interference penalty on Seattle safety Marquand Manuel, before Boulware’s interception in the end zone. The next drive went 66 yards in five plays, with the final incomplete pass coming as time expired.
“Phew,” said Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren, who is now 2-7 all-time in games played at the Metrodome. “It was a heck of a game, and we’ve been playing a few of those this season. For this one to come out in our favor was something these guys really needed, I needed, we all needed.”
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