Seahawks’ key at Minnesota start is their All-Pro linebacker in the middle

Last time we saw Bobby Wagner, he was mostly looking up to watch the ball soar over his head.

Last week was a pass rushers and defensive backs game for the Seahawks. Pittsburgh threw 59 passes for 490 yards against them, yet lost. Nine of a game-high 12 tackles for Wagner came to end pass plays – including one the All-Pro middle linebacker ran 41 yards downfield to make.

This Sunday is the polar opposite. And not because it’s in the “Great White North.”

That fact makes Sunday’s test for the Seahawks (6-5) here at NFC North-leading Minnesota (8-3) and NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson a linebackers game.

“I see it that way,” Wagner said. “He’s a big part of their offense. I am going to do my best to make sure I’m on him every single play.

“They have a really good tight end in (three-time Pro Bowler Kyle) Rudolph. So I feel like this is a linebackers game.”

So, namely, this is Wagner’s and his outside linebackers K.J. Wright’s and Bruce Irvin’s game.

“It’s going to be won there,” Wagner said.

His small grin amplified that he didn’t say “won or lost.”

It’s about as far opposite of Seattle’s 39-30 win last week can be. Behind Peterson, Minnesota is No. 1 in the NFL in rushing offense. It is 31st in passing. The Vikings ask second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to take care of the ball, hand off to Peterson, take occasional shots down the field with play-action passes off that — and leave the rest to a defense that’s fourth in league against the pass and ninth overall.

In that way, you might say the Vikings have Seahawk-ed their way ahead of the Packers in the NFC North.

If you aren’t Bobby Wagner, that is.

When asked if Minnesota reminds him of his Seahawks, Wagner didn’t smile.

“There’s only one Seahawks,” he said.

Wagner and this Seattle program led by coach Pete Carroll have had mixed results against Peterson. In November 2012 he romped for 182 yards on just 17 carries with two touchdowns, but the Seahawks overcame that to win 30-20. The following season, again in Seattle in November, Peterson carried 21 times, yet gained just 65 yards with no scores. The Seahawks won 41-20 on their way to winning the Super Bowl.

“My rookie year? Aw, he had a really good game my rookie year,” Wagner said of 2012. “But the last time we played him we played him very well.

“I think schemes were a little different. Our tackling was a lot better the second time we played him.”

Wagner also detailed the key to stopping Peterson, the key to why Atlanta didn’t last week when Peterson had 159 of Minnesota’s 198 yards rushing in the Vikings’ road win.

“You could tell they weren’t really that patient,” Wagner said of the Falcons. “He’s a really patient runner. He waited for someone to pop out of their (assigned) gap, and as soon as he popped out of the gap (Peterson) took off big. You don’t want a guy like that taking off.

“This game, we have to be really, really disciplined, focused on our gaps — and making sure when we hit him, he feels it.

“It’s going to be fun, man.”

On offense, the Seahawks are likely to run rookie Thomas Rawls, who will start for the third consecutive game since Marshawn Lynch went out for eventual abdominal surgery, right at Minnesota the same way Peterson will be coming at Seattle. The Vikings are 20th in the league in run defense. Bigger, physical rushers have romped against them. Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy has only two 100-yard rushing games this season. One of them came at Minnesota two weeks ago.

Plus nose tackle Linval Joseph, a key to the Vikings’ run defense, will not play because of a foot injury. Strong-side linebacker Anthony Barr has a groin injury and free safety Harrison Smith is coming off a knee injury. Both are questionable to play against the Seahawks.

So expect Rawls inside and the elusiveness of quarterback Russell Wilson outside to be the thrust of Seattle’s offense to test Minnesota’s run defense. This could be the game Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell dusts off Wilson’s read-option runs around the ends, especially if Seattle is successful in establishing Rawls’ inside rushes early.

The recent improvement in the offensive line, accelerated by the switch to Patrick Lewis over Drew Nowak as the starting center, has given Wilson the confidence in his blockers he won’t say he lacked earlier this season.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” Wilson said.

“I think the offensive line is playing great football right now. They’re being so solid up front. They’re picking up the calls. They’re seeing everything the right way. They’re playing unbelievable football up front.

“It starts with that.”

And this starts that most successful of months for the Seahawks the last three years. Seattle is 12-2 in December since 2012. Another run like that this month and the Seahawks, who currently hold the NFC’s final playoff spot, will have rallied back into the postseason.

“The goal obviously is to get to December with a chance,” Wilson said.

“And we have a chance.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 10:23 PM with the headline "Seahawks’ key at Minnesota start is their All-Pro linebacker in the middle."