Nordo's Numbers: Week 16 vs. Seattle

The Minnesota Vikings headed to Seattle, the site of many heartbreaking games, to take on a new-look Seahawks team. Minnesota started with its patented hot start, putting up a touchdown and on a drive that took up over half of the first quarter. The Vikings traded punches with Seattle and entered halftime up 17-14.

The Seahawks took a 24-20 lead late in the fourth, but Minnesota's sputtering offense came up big with a long Justin Jefferson touchdown, making it a 27-24 game, and the defense sealed the win. Theo Jackson, filling in for Harrison Smith, intercepted Geno Smith with less than a minute left to win the game and allow the defense to show off another coordinated celebration.

Here are five numbers to break down the game:

30

Sam Darnold threw for his 30th touchdown on the Vikings’ opening drive, hitting Jordan Addison on a five-yard pass.

Minnesota's offense got the ball first and took advantage of it. They took over seven minutes off the clock, methodically working their way to the end zone. Darnold went seven of eight for 50 yards, including three passes to Addison, who got his fifth touchdown in as many games.

Darnold also hit T.J. Hockenson on a crucial fourth-and-four. He also threw his 31st touchdown, hitting Jefferson in the end zone on a 14-yard score, moving to second on Minnesota’s single-season passing touchdown list, eclipsing Kirk Cousins and sitting behind Brett Favre (33).

Addison and Darnold have continued their connection lately. After his nightmarish game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Darnold has been playing at another level. If he can continue to play this well, he will fully unlock the offense in time for the playoffs.

5

With his first-quarter touchdown, Addison has tied Larry Fitzgerald for the fifth-most touchdowns before turning 23, trailing Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, Ja’Marr Chase, and Odell Beckham Jr. Addison got his fifth receiving touchdown in the last five games. The second-year receiver continues to benefit from the opposing defense's attention on Jefferson.

While the start of the season was less than ideal for the former USC receiver, he has taken his game to another level. And the start of the season was deeply frustrating. Addison dealt with injuries to both ankles and missed time in the preseason and the first couple of games. He also had a DUI in California.

However, Addison has played well enough to capitalize on the attention opposing defenses give Jefferson. Addison and Jefferson have formed one of the best duos in the NFL, allowing Kevin O’Connell to dial up explosives downfield.

2022

For the first time since 2022, the Vikings have two defensive players with double-digit sacks. Andrew Van Ginkel moved to 11* sacks on the season, joining Jonathan Greenard (11) as the first double-digit duo since Z’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter.

Van Ginkel and Greenard came from situations where they were somewhat of an afterthought behind bigger-name players. However, they have outplayed their contracts by playing at a Pro Bowl level for the Vikings. Behind them, Pat Jones is also having a career year with eight sacks, rounding out Minnesota’s elite room of edge rushers.

1

Kevin O’Connell became the first head coach in franchise history to win 13 or more games a season multiple times. O’Connell took over the Vikings three years ago, and they finished as the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a 13-4 record. While the New York Giants bounced Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs, O'Connell's future still looked bright.

Coming into this year, with the turnover at key positions and all the injuries, questions loomed about how O’Connell could rebuild this team and, in the short term, what they might look like during that process. Well, this season has been perhaps the best we have seen the Vikings, especially from a coaching perspective. O’Connell and Flores have taken this team that most people thought would finish either fourth or fifth in the division and now have them in the position to potentially steal the one seed in what is supposed to be a rebuilding season.

1950

Sam Darnold passed Dak Prescott (2016) to have the most games with a 100-plus passer rating in their first season with a new team since 1950. Coming into the season, the signing of Darnold was viewed as a bridge for J.J. McCarthy, who would take over either at some point in the season or at the start of the next season. While McCarthy has missed his rookie season with the torn meniscus he picked up in preseason, Darnold has made the most of his opportunity.

Before this season, O’Connell said that “organizations fail young quarterbacks more than young quarterbacks fail organizations.” O'Connell has been the catalyst for Darnold's bounce after Darnold spent seasons surrounded by Matt Rhule and Adam Gase, highlighting how former highly touted young quarterbacks can bounce back when they have the right infrastructure around them.

*An earlier version of this post misstated the amount of sacks Van Ginkel had. We regret the error.