Seahawks survive against Vikings in frigid wild-card game

It turned out to be a game-changer this time, as the Vikings still clung to a 9-7 lead when Kam Chancellor jarred the ball loose and the Seahawks recovered deep in Minnesota territory.

The story of the day came in Minneapolis, where Vikings kicker Blair Walsh fluffed an easy 27-yard field goal attempt with 26 seconds left on the clock to allow Seattle to cling on for a nail-biting 10-9 victory.

“(Going) 11-5 won’t be acceptable (next season), in my eyes”, said cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. “Hedoesn’t know yet”, Carroll said.

“We’ve got a great home-field advantage, but when you go on the road, you galvanize together”, he said after a 35-18 win at Washington. Made it kind of fun. “I worked real hard to get to a place where I was very consistent for this team all year”.

The Seahawks expect TE Luke Willson, the starter with Jimmy Graham out since November with season-ending knee surgery, to play at Carolina after missing the win over Minnesota.

For a team that lost four Super Bowls in the 1960s and ’70s, a divisional playoff game on a desperation pass from Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson in 1975, an NFC title game in 1999 in part because of Gary Anderson’s first miss of the season and the 2010 NFC title game after Brett Favre threw an interception in Saints territory late in the game, this was far from the team’s most gut-wrenching defeats. All alone, just a few yards behind holder Jeff Locke, Walsh finished his pre-kick routine.

“The final kick was kicked much fast than their other kicks”, Carroll said. (Sherman) couldnt have been closer. “When they went to 9-zip it was a moment of, ‘Oh boy, we havent scored once, how are we going to score twice? There was a moment there questioning what is going to happen next.” Carroll said on Monday. But after a critical Adrian Peterson fumble set up what amounted to Seattle’s winning field goal, Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater staged an admirable rally, putting Walsh in position to win on a 27-yard field-goal attempt. The Vikings managed only 58 yards rushing and became the seventh team in the past eight games Seattle has held under 100 yards rushing.

“I don’t care if you give me a watermelon (to kick), I should be able to put that through”, Walsh said afterwards. If ya’ll had your mistakes on grand display for the world to see, would you want thousands of people tearing you down with harsh words & threats. No! That’s how it goes. Handling a football in subzero temperatures is like playing with a completely different ball.

Carroll said there was no setback, simply Lynch telling the Seahawks staff he didn’t have the confidence he needed to run with his style in a playoff game.

While some kicker move on from their team after a crucial miss, Walsh is expected to stick around with the Vikings.

He ended up throwing 210 yards, with two touchdowns, while Eddie Lacy and James Starks each rushed for a score as Packers registered their highest points tally since week three of the regular season. “I can’t tell you because he doesn’t know yet, so we’ll have to wait and see”.