The Minnesota Vikings (11-5 in 2015) continue their road swing on Thursday, August 18 at CenturyLink Field against the Seattle Seahawks (10-6 in 2015), the 1st of Minnesota's 3 West Coast opponents (San Diego and Los Angeles) this preseason. The game will be simulcast live locally on FOX 9 and KFAN 100.3 FM. The simulcast team features Paul Allen and Pete Bercich in the booth with Greg Coleman and Ben Leber on the sideline.
The Vikings and Seahawks each won their preseason openers by identical scores, 17-16, against the Bengals and Chiefs, respectively. Head Coach Mike Zimmer ranks 6th in team history with 9 preseason wins and can move into 5th with 3 more exhibition victories this season. These teams met during last year's Wildcard Playoff at TCF Bank Stadium, a game in which Seattle escaped the -6 degree temperatures with a 10-9 victory.
BROADCAST COVERAGE
TELEVISION: FOX 9 (Channel 9 in Minneapolis) Play-by-Play: Paul Allen; Analyst: Pete Bercich; Sideline Reporter: Greg Coleman/Ben Leber
LOCAL RADIO: KFAN-FM 100.3/KTLK-AM 1130
Play-by-Play: Paul Allen; Analyst: Pete Bercich
Sideline Reporter: Greg Coleman/Ben Leber
Pre-Game Show: Mike Mussman – 8:00 p.m. CT
KFAN and KTLK serve as the flagship stations for the 63-station, 5-state Vikings Radio Network.
VIKINGS IN THE PRESEASON
- The Vikings all-time preseason record is 149-97-3 (.604).
- The team has finished undefeated in the preseason 7 times ('64, '65, '73, '92, '98, '01, '14).
- The Vikings have finished with a .500 record or better 42 times in the team's 55 preseasons.
- Minnesota has finished .500 or better in the regular season 32 times after posting a .500 or better record in the preseason.
- The 13 preseasons in which the Vikings have finished below .500, the team went on to finish below .500 seven times in the ensuing regular season.
- Under Head Coach Mike Zimmer, the Vikings have compiled a 9-1 (.900) record in the 2014 (4-0), 2015 (4-1) and 2016 (1-0) preseasons. Zim led Minnesota to 8-straight preseason wins before falling to Tennessee, 24-17, in last year's preseason finale.
VIKINGS-SEAHAWKS CONNECTIONS
· Seattle Seahawks Executive VP of Football Operations and Head Coach Pete Carroll served as the DBs coach with the Minnesota Vikings from 1985-89. Carroll's son, Nate, is the Seahawks Assistant WRs Coach and was born in Edina, Minnesota during the elder Carroll's stint with the Vikings.
· Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell served in the same role for the Vikings from 2006-10.
· Vikings DB coach Jerry Gray coached the Seahawks DBs in 2010.
· Vikings Coaching Assistant Drew Petzing and Seahawks K Steven Hauschka were teammates at Middlebury College. Hauschka originally signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
· Seattle Seahawks Co-Director of Player Personnel Trent Kirchner graduated from St. John's University in Minnesota, where he played QB for 2 years. He interned with the Minnesota Twins in 1999.
· Seahawks Research Analyst Brian Eayrs attended Augsburg College in Minneapolis where he played QB. Eayrs' father, Mike, held a similar position for the Vikings and Packers before recently retiring.
· Seahawks Director of Health and Player Performance Sam Ramsden grew up in La Crescent, Minnesota.
· Seattle Seahawks General Manager John Schneider is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
COLLEGE CONNECTIONS
· There are six players from UCLA in this matchup: Vikings LB Anthony Barr, Vikings LB Eric Kendricks, Vikings G Mike Harris, Vikings P Jeff Locke, Vikings LS Kevin McDermott, and Seahawks DE Cassius Marsh.
· Vikings DE Everson Griffen and T Matt Kalil both played at USC with Seahawks LB Michael Morgan under USC Head Coach Pete Carroll.
· Vikings S Andrew Sendejo played for Rice with Seahawks TE Luke Willson in 2009.
· Vikings CB Mackensie Alexander and S Jayron Kearse both played at Clemson with Seahawks RB Zac Brooks.
VIKINGS BIG DAYS VS. SEAHAWKS
- RB Adrian Peterson ran for 182 yards and 2 TDs on 17 carries (10.7 avg) at Seattle (11/4/12). Peterson's 182 rushing yards are the most given up by the Seahawks during Pete Carroll's stint as Head Coach. His 74-yard run is also the longest against Seattle during Carroll's tenure.
- WR Cordarrelle Patterson returned 5 kickoffs for 198 yards with his longest being a 101 yard kickoff return TD on 12/06/15 vs. the Seahawks.
- DE Everson Griffen had 6 tackles, 1.0 sack and 4 QB hits against the Seahawks on 01/10/16.
