Seahawks: 8 takeaways from a reality check loss to the Vikings

The Seattle Seahawks had beaten the Minnesota Vikings in seven straight meetings coming into today’s matchup. All good things must come to an end though, and Seattle’s recent dominance over Minnesota came crashing down in dramatic fashion this afternoon.

Here are eight takeaways from a reality check of a 30-17 loss.

Don't blame Russell Wilson

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Russell Wilson couldn't earn his 100th career win, but you can hardly blame him for it. Wilson put in another superb game against the Vikings. He was particularly effective targeting the intermediate part of the field, something he's taken a lot of criticism for not enough doing this year. Wilson went 22/32 for 298 yards (9.3 YPA), one touchdown and a 111.2 passer rating.

Kirk Cousins carved the Seahawks up

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Kirk Cousins may not be in the same league as Russell Wilson, but he's a serious competitor and never easy to beat. Seattle was reminded of that the hard way, as Cousins carved up their defense with a series of accurate, quick-hitting passes that are his trademark. In the end, Cousins' line was 30/38, 323 yards, three touchdowns and a 128.4 passer rating. It didn't help that the Seahawks defense couldn't get pressure on him, only managing four quarterback hits and one sack.

D.K. Metcalf had an explosive game

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The first two weeks of the season Tyler Lockett was carrying Seattle's passing game. This time it was D.K. Metcalf leading the charge as he took advantage of the extra cushion Minnesota's defensive backs were giving him. Metcalf made them pay for it, especially in the first half. He finished with six catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Chris Carson was productive

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The run game was suspiciously quiet in last week's loss to the Titans. The Seahawks got that element of their offense going again in Week 3, though. Chris Carson had plenty of room to run and broke off a couple of chunk gains, including a 30-yard touchdown. He totaled 80 yards and one score on 12 carries.

Seattle's cornerbacks were exposed

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Every week, cornerback Tre Flowers is sticking out like a sore thumb defensively. Flowers was burned early and often by Justin Jefferson and that dynamic continued throughout the game. D.J. Reed also had issues against both Jefferson and Adam Thielen in coverage. Togther, Jefferson and Thielen combined for 15 catches, 168 yards and two touchdowns. Tre Brown and Nigel Warrior potentially returning from injured reserve next week might help. However, this game should be a wake-up call for the front office in regards to getting outside help at corner.

Run defense is a major problem

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The Vikings had to go without their star running back Dalvin Cook today. It didn't matter much given how bad the Seahawks' run defense is right now. Alexander Mattison was once again a huge problem for Seattle, racking up 112 yards on 26 carries. Minnesota was also very effective using Mattison in the screen game. He added 59 more yards on six catches. This is one defensive element where K.J. Wright is definitely missed.

The streak is over for Jason Myers

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Seattle's kicker Jason Myers had a truly impressive streak going, connecting on a franchise-record 37 consecutive field goals. However, late in the first half he missed wide left from 44 yards out, bringing that streak to an end. Myers also missed an extra point attempt last week, which turned out to be critical as the game went to overtime.

More costly defensive penalties

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In the second quarter, Ugo Amadi was flagged for a foolish holding penalty on third down, leading to a touchdown for the Vikings that included a personal foul by free safety Quandre Diggs at the end. That sequence is a good example of this team's issues with costly defensive penalties this season. Coach Pete Carroll has his work cut out for him in a number of areas.

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