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News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

Griffen's 2nd Straight Season with 10-plus Sacks Key for Vikings

The NFC North Champion Vikings (11-5) are hosting the Seahawks (10-6) in the first outdoor playoff game in Minnesota since the 1976 NFC Championship. The Vikings defeated the L.A. Rams that day to advance to Super Bowl XI, which capped the season in which the Seahawks debuted.

The teams have only met 14 prior times, including last month, when Seattle claimed a 38-7 victory on Dec. 6. Here are 10 numbers of note to help you prepare for the rematch.

1 — team in NFL history to make the playoffs while playing a regular season of home games in a temporary venue; the Vikings went 6-2 at the University of Minnesota this season and have gone 11-5 in their two-year run outdoors

3 —rushing titles in nine seasons for Adrian Peterson, who rushed for an NFL-best 1,485 yards this season on 327 carries (4.5 per rush) and tied for the NFL lead with 11 rushing touchdowns; Peterson was voted to his seventh Pro Bowl and named First-Team Associated Press All-Pro for the fourth time of his career; the Seahawks limited Peterson to 18 yards on eight carries last month and led the NFL in rush defense this season (81.5 yards allowed per game)

4 — teams (Vikings, Redskins, Chiefs, Texans) this year that were not part of the 12-team playoff field last year; since the 12-team format was adopted in 1990, each postseason has featured at least four different teams qualify than the previous season; it is also the number of consecutive playoff trips made by Seattle

5 and 7 — positive turnover ratios for Minnesota (tied for 10th in NFL) and Seattle (tied for fifth in NFL), respectively, this season; of all 12 playoff teams, 10 finished in the top 10 for turnover ratio; the Vikings had 22 takeaways and 17 giveaways; the Seahawks had 23 takeaways and 16 giveaways

10.5 —team-best sacks by Vikings DE Everson Griffen, who has 22.5 in two seasons as a starter; Griffen tied for 12th in the NFL this season and had two big plays at Green Bay: the first forced a fumble that was returned 55 yards for a touchdown by Captain Munnerlyn, and the second limited the Packers to a field goal; Griffen was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week and is the first Viking since Jared Allen with consecutive double-digit sack seasons; Michael Bennett led the Seahawks with 10 sacks this season, and Cliff Avril tallied nine

17 — victories for Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater as a starter, which tied Warren Moon and Brett Favre for a franchise record number of wins in a player's first two seasons in Minnesota; Moon and Favre were brought in as veterans, but Bridgewater logged the highest win percentage (.607) of all in his first two pro seasons

31.8 —NFL-leading return average on kickoffs this season by Cordarrelle Patterson, who was also the only player in the league to return two kickoffs for scores; Seahawks rookie Tyler Lockett averaged 25.8 yards on kickoff returns (eighth in NFL) and 9.5 on punt returns (11th in NFL); Lockett returned a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown

34 —field goals made this season by Blair Walsh to lead the NFL; Walsh finished fourth in the NFL with 135 points this season, the third-highest total by a Viking in team history (Gary Anderson, 164 in 1998 and Walsh, 141 in 2012)

52 — team-high receptions for Stefon Diggs, who became the first Vikings rookie to lead team in catches in a season; Diggs, a fifth-round pick, posted the third-most catches by a rookie in franchise history (Randy Moss, 69 in 1998 and Percy Harvin, 60 in 2009); Diggs' 720 yards ranked second in the NFL among rookies this season; Doug Baldwin led the Seahawks in catches (78), yards (1,069) and receiving touchdowns (14)

110.1 —league-leading passer rating by Seahawks QB Russell Wilson in 2015 thanks to 4,024 passing yards and 34 touchdowns against eight interceptions; Wilson became the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns and rush for at least 500 yards in one season; Wilson rushed for 533 yards; and the Vikings must deal with the dual threat to advance

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