The Vikings were downed 21-7 by the Seahawks on Monday night.
The offense **started slowly** and experienced missteps on **pivotal plays**, and the defense gave a **valiant performance** by limiting Russell Wilson to a career-low 72 passing yards.
It wasn't enough, though, as Minnesota fell to 6-6-1 on the season with three games left in the regular season. The Vikings remained the **No. 6 seed** in the NFC Playoffs if the postseason started this week.
Here are three stats that stood out.
1. 13 of 19 first downs by rushing
Seattle entered the game leading the NFL in rushing with nearly 150 yards per game and was able to rack up 136 on 22 carries (6.2 yards per rush) in the first half.
The Seahawks finished with 214 yards on 42 total runs, numbers that included seven runs for 61 yards, headlined by a backbreaking 40-yarder on a scramble in the fourth quarter.
Of the 19 first downs earned by Seattle, 13 were by running the football, including nine of 12 in the first half, meaning the Seahawks were effective in staying ahead of the chains and able to run the ball effectively when they wanted to run the ball.
The Vikings tried to get their running game going but finished with 77 yards on 21 rushes (3.7 per carry). Of Minnesota's 16 first downs earned, five were via runs.
2. 20 snaps in the first half
The Vikings struggled to develop a rhythm in the first half and had just 20 offensive snaps after going 0-for-4 at converting third downs.
Kirk Cousins was just 4-for-8 passing for 27 yards and had a sack. Fifteen of those yards were gained on the second snap of the game.
The Vikings were outgained almost 3:1 in the first half. The Seahawks totaled 175 net yards, compared to 61 by Minnesota.
3. Red zone and goal-to-go
The Vikings defense won't get its full due for performing at a high level in the red zone and with goal-to-go situations for the Seahawks.
Minnesota limited Seattle to 1-for-4 when the Seahawks advanced to inside the Vikings 20-yard line and just 1-for-3 on goal-to-go scenarios.
Seattle had a total of 13 offensive snaps inside the Minnesota 20 and netted 12 yards.
The Seahawks were able to keep the ball on the ground with three straight runs by Chris Carson on their fourth trip to the red zone and score their lone offensive touchdown.
The Vikings, meanwhile, were 1-for-2 on trips to the red zone/goal-to-go situations and unable to get points out of four plays from the Seattle 4.
