The Minnesota Vikings will try and get a win in Seattle on Monday, something they haven’t accomplished since the 2006 season.
Back in 1976 the Minnesota Vikings got a 27-21 win in their first ever matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Since that victory, the Vikings have won just four of their last 14 games against the Seahawks, including the playoffs.
On Monday, Minnesota will attempt to get their first victory in Seattle since Week 7 of the 2006 season. That year, the Vikings left the Seahawks’ home stadium with an impressive 31-13 win.
Going into the half of this matchup, the game was actually tied at 10 apiece. But once the second half came around, Minnesota found their mojo and outscored Seattle 21-3 to cruise to an easy victory.
The Vikings’ chances for a win definitely got a big boost after their defense knocked Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck out of the game in the third quarter. Hasselbeck had to miss the rest of the matchup due to a sprained knee and Seattle had to roll with backup signal-caller Seneca Wallace for the rest of the day.
From the moment the Seahawks lost their starting quarterback, it seemed like a switch flipped for Minnesota.
During their first offensive drive after Hasselbeck went down, the Vikings marched 54 yards down the field before running back Mewelde Moore tossed a 15-yard pass to tight end Jermaine Wiggins for a score. Moore actually finished with the same amount of touchdown passes in this game against Seattle as Minnesota starting quarterback Brad Johnson (one).
Two drives later, Vikings running back Chester Taylor took the handoff and ran 95 yards for another Minnesota touchdown. Taylor ended his day with a total of 169 rushing yards on 26 carries and his 95-yard scamper is still the longest touchdown run in Vikings history.
Up by 11 points midway through the fourth quarter, Minnesota added another touchdown to their total after linebacker Ben Leber sacked Wallace and forced a fumble near the end zone. Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams then pounced on the ball in the end zone for the easy score.
The win improved Minnesota’s record to 4-2 in their first season under new head coach Brad Childress. Unfortunately, the Vikings only managed to win two of their next 10 games and the team finished with a forgettable 6-10 record in their first year with Childress leading the way.
Since that victory in 2006, Minnesota has had a pair of games in Seattle and they came out on the losing end in each of them. Will the Vikings be able to end their road losing streak against the Seahawks on Monday?