A bad snap on a punt helped set up the first points of the afternoon in Minnesota.
After the Seahawks failed to get a first down on their first offensive possession, long snapper Clint Gresham’s snap to punter Jon Ryan was low. Ryan went down to get it and opted to run rather than try to rush the kick. He was stopped well short of the first down, giving the Vikings the ball on the 29-yard-line.
The Vikings capitalized by giving the ball to Adrian Peterson six times and grinding their way to the four-yard-line, but Teddy Bridgewater’s pass to running back Jerick McKinnon was incomplete on third down. They settled for a Blair Walsh field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Peterson has run the ball 10 times already on Sunday, which is two more times than he ran it all day when the Seahawks and Vikings met in the regular season.
The botched punt was doubly painful for Ryan. He tried to hurdle McKinnon and landed face first on the cold turf. He’s been receiving medical attention on the sideline for a bloody nose and is called questionable to return.
The first Vikings possession showed some promise after Mike Zimmer’s decision to go for it on a short fourth down near midfield paid off on a Teddy Bridgewater sneak. Peterson was dropped for a loss by what seemed like half the Seahawks defense on the ensuing third down, however, and the Vikings had a more traditional punt to end their first drive.