Sam Darnold's game-winning TD pass leads Vikings to thrilling win in Seattle

Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson for the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter.

Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Sam Darnold has had all kinds of big games this season, but this one may have been his most impressive, considering the stakes and the pressure of the moment.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings trailed the Seahawks 24-20. Darnold had just gotten his facemask illegally grabbed and his ankle rolled up on. And with his team's hopes of being the NFC's No. 1 seed on the line, he casually stepped up in the pocket and threw a dime to Justin Jefferson for a dramatic go-ahead touchdown.

DARNOLD TO JETTAS. VIKINGS RE-TAKE THE LEAD.

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Darnold threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Jefferson, and safety Theo Jackson sealed the deal with an interception in a 27-24 Vikings victory in Seattle. It's the eighth consecutive win for Minnesota, who moves to 13-2 on the season. The Vikings are now two wins away from being the top seed in the conference and earning home-field advantage in the playoffs.

A ten-point lead for the Vikings in the first half turned into a late four-point deficit, but Darnold remained poised with everything on the line. He finished 22 of 35 for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jefferson had 10 catches for a season-high 144 yards and two scores. And a Vikings defense that struggled at times came up with the plays it needed, including a couple Andrew Van Ginkel sacks and the decisive interception from Jackson — who was only playing because Harrison Smith was out.

Geno Smith threw three touchdowns for the Seahawks, who had 361 total yards but were just 2 for 10 on third downs. Ultimately, it was Smith's two interceptions that made the difference on a day where the Vikings didn't turn the ball over once.

The Vikings opened this game with a gem of a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. They converted a fourth down on the outskirts of field goal range, then got the scoring started on a Darnold touchdown pass to Jordan Addison. But the Seahawks responded after a couple punts, going 87 yards and tying the game on a DK Metcalf touchdown reception.

Later in a first half where they nearly doubled up the Seahawks in time of possession, the Vikings had a sequence where they seemed to be creating some separation. Jefferson's first touchdown made it 14-7, and Dallas Turner's first career interception set up a Will Reichard field goal that made it a ten-point game. After a Seahawks three and out, the Vikings had a chance to add on before the break.

That's when things took a big swing. Minnesota went three and out in just 20 seconds, and the Seahawks bolted 88 yards in barely over a minute to make it a 17-14 game at the half. Smith was surgical on that drive to end the half.

The Vikings mostly struggled on offense in the second half — until Darnold delivered when they had to have it. The Seahawks then missed a 60-yard field goal that would've tied the game, and turned it over when they got one more chance.

With the Eagles falling to the Commanders in a thriller earlier on Sunday, the Vikings now completely control their own destiny in the battle for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They're tied with the Lions at 13-2, while Philadelphia — who lost Jalen Hurts to a concussion in the first half against Washington — drops one game back at 12-3. If the Vikings beat the Packers next week and the Lions to close the season, they'll be the top seed in the conference.

This continues to feel like a Vikings team of destiny.

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