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News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

Early Look: Vikings vs. Seahawks

EAGAN, Minn. — We've seen this one before.

The Vikings and Seahawks will meet at 7 p.m. (CT) Sunday in a preseason game, making it the fourth straight season the teams have met in exhibition play.

Sunday's contest will be at U.S. Bank Stadium, the first Vikings game held at the venue since the season finale of the 2018 season.

Minnesota earned a 34-25 win in its preseason opener in New Orleans. The Seahawks scored a 22-14 win over Denver.

Here's a look at the Vikings home preseason opener against Seattle:

Passing: Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is likely to make his 2019 preseason debut in Minnesota, after not playing against the Broncos.

Wilson signed a multiyear contract extension with Seattle and is 75-36-1 in seven seasons as the Seahawks starter.

He threw for a career-high 35 touchdowns in 2018, tied his career low with seven interceptions and led Seattle to the postseason for the sixth time in his career.

Geno Smith started for Seattle last week and played the first half before being replaced by Paxton Lynch, who threw for a touchdown and ran for another.

Rushing: Running backs Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise also did not play in the preseason opener, as Rashaad Penny, Xavier Turner and Bo Scarbrough received the majority of the work.

Turner led Seattle with 13 carries for 42 yards in the preseason opener.

Carson was an effective runner in 2018 when he totaled 1,151 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games while averaging 4.66 yards per attempt.

The Seahawks led the league with 160.0 rushing yards per game in 2018, and they ranked second with 534 attempts.

Receiving: Tyler Lockett and Jaron Brown did not play for Seattle in the opener, but rookie second-round pick DK Metcalf played 26 snaps.

Fellow rookie Jazz Ferguson led Seattle with four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Lockett led Seattle with 57 catches for 965 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2018. Longtime Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin retired in the offseason.

Tight ends Ed Dickson and Will Dissly also did not play against Denver. Nick Vannett played 27 snaps but did not have a catch.

Defense: A handful of notable names on the Seattle defense did not play against Denver, including linebacker mainstays Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright.

Defensive linemen Jarran Reed, Nazair Jones, L.J. Collier, Poona Ford and Ziggy Ansah also did not see the field.

Cornerback Jamar Taylor had an interception. Cornerback DeShawn Shead and defensive ends Barkevious Mingo and Jacob Martin each notched sacks.

Shead's sack resulted in a safety.

Special teams: Seahawks kicker Jason Myers made two of three field goals, connecting from 55 and 43 yards, and connected on both extra points.

Seattle punter Michael Dickson averaged 45.3 yards on six punts with a long of 53.

Recent Trend

The 2018 season marked the first time since 2012 that neither the Vikings nor Seahawks claimed a division title.

Minnesota won the NFC North in 2015 and 2017, two seasons in which the Seahawks did not win the NFC West.

But Seattle claimed NFC West titles in 2013, 2014 and 2016, all seasons in which the Vikings did not capture their own division.

In fact, the Vikings and Seahawks have never been champions of their respective divisions in the same season.

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