Seattle Seahawks: Studs and duds vs. Vikings in Week 13

The Seattle Seahawks held onto a slim lead and defeated the Minnesota Vikings 37-30. Seattle now holds the top seed in the NFC West.

While the Minnesota Vikings made an inspired late-game push, the Seattle Seahawks earned their tenth win of the season on Monday Night Football. The win capped an impactful week of games that dramatically altered potential playoff seeds.

With their win, the Seahawks matched the San Francisco 49ers at 10-2. Because of the head-to-head matchup, the Seahawks now own the top spot in the NFC West. The seeding is significant because there’s a vast difference between being a Wild Card and having to travel for playoff games versus being a top-two seed and having a Wild Card round bye.

The Seahawks and 49ers play each other again in the final week of the regular season. Usually, high-seeded teams rest their best players in Week 17, but Seattle and San Francisco may not have that luxury this season. The game might decide the difference between landing a top-two seed or the fifth seed.

The New Orleans Saints are the only other 10-2 team in the NFC, and they hold the tiebreaker over Seattle. That means New Orleans is the new top seed in the NFC. However, the Saints face the 49ers next week. That game will have a significant impact on the playoff situation moving forward. The outcome could shift Seattle into first place in the NFC, assuming the Seahawks defeat the Los Angeles Rams.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at the best and worst players for Seattle from their Week 13 matchup. Because the Seahawks had such a good game, there are four studs this week and only two duds.