‘Zim’s going to be him’: Vikings D follows aggressive coach

But two hours and fifty five minutes later, the Seahawks had pounded all of that out of the Vikings.

Seattle general manager John Schneider basically helped Minnesota GM Rick Spielman build this NFC North champion.

In the first matchup between Seattle and Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium, the Vikings picked up just nine 1st downs.

“I think you can tell just (by) how we’re playing”, Zimmer said. “It’s one of those things you just have to realize you’re not the only one playing in the cold so just go out there and play”. They finished 3-1 in the final four weeks and are arguably the hottest team entering the postseason.

Carroll said he thought ball security might be an issue, as well as the ball not flying as far as usual in the kicking game. Since Seattle is the lowest seed, it can only go to Carolina with a victory.

“It’s hard to beat a team twice”.

“It feels good. We’ve been trying to get this for a long time”, said cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who could actually only relate to a portion of fruitless pursuits, having only been around for three seasons.

Zimmer said the video will be examined when the team returns to practice today.

Something tells me Pete Carroll will still be running around the Seattle sideline like a joyous wildman no matter what the temperature is. “There’s not any misconception of what happened in that game to us at all”. Norv Turner, the Vikings’ Offensive Coordinator, will be forced to dial up quick pass plays to avoid the Seahawks’ pass rush. Russell Wilson threw for 3 TD passes and it was Seattle, not Minnesota, that ran the ball successfully (171 yards rushing). He was limited and is looking more likely to play Sunday after missing the Packers game last week.

How well the pieces around Wilson’s offense perform, especially running backs Christine Michael as he fills in for the injured Thomas Rawls and Marshawn Lynch, may make all the difference to Seattle’s hopes.

Injury reports: For the Vikings: In addition to Peterson, Kenrick Ellis (ankle) and Zach Line (illness) did not participate. Moreover, over the previous 10 years of playoff football, home teams have compiled a 23-17 record.

Players would call their performance “embarrassing” and “shameful” in the locker room after the game.

Minnesota will be content to keep a trio of players that many considered Pro Bowl snubs – Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr and Linval Joseph – on the field this time around. When the weather got cold at Met Stadium and the sun hung low in the afternoon sky, Grant’s teams charted out the spots on the field which would freeze in shadow or hold water on muddy days. “We just looked at the film and saw that we made a lot of mental errors”.