The final score—30-20—and the number of touchdowns Marshawn Lynch scored—only one—says everything you need to know about the Seattle Seahawks' big win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Russell Wilson wasn't just not-a-liability in Week 9—he was crucial, going 16-for-24 for 173 yards and three touchdowns to get the Seahawks over .500.
That's not a blowout day—7.2 yards per attempt—but it's a big one, his second three-touchdown game of the season, and his second or third-best game of a rookie season that's seen the Seahawks mostly just hide him behind Lynch. Lynch was still in 400-carry mode, going 26 times for 124 yards, but Wilson took advantage of the situations the Seahawks put him in.
And Lynch, for his part, didn't even have the biggest running day on the field; Adrian Peterson had a vintage performance in the loss, rushing 17 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns. But the Seahawks held Christian Ponder to 11-for-22 for 63 yards and an interception.
At 5-4 the Seahawks move into sole possession of second place in the NFC West, behind the 6-2 San Francisco 49ers. The Niners will return from their bye week to face the 3-5 St. Louis Rams next Sunday, while the Seahawks get the 3-5 New York Jets. They're still underdogs, but on Sunday Seattle at least pushed themselves past the Arizona Cardinals and the Rams.