Vikes' Zimmer hopes to avoid repeat of 'butt-whipping' to Seahawks

After an uneven and unsettling start to their season, the 6-5 Seahawks entered their Dec. 6 Week 13 matchup at Minnesota with postseason hopes still very much in doubt. The Vikings, meanwhile, were flying high after winning six of their previous seven games en route to an 8-3 start.

The game was supposed to be a litmus test of sorts. For Seattle, it was an opportunity to shake off the doldrums, build off their Week 12 win over Pittsburgh and declare their intentions at making another late season run. For Minnesota, the game was a chance to show they belonged among the NFC's elite.

Things didn't start well, then got worse for the Vikings in the 38-7 loss -- by far their most lopsided defeat of the 2015 campaign.

In preparing for the teams' NFC wild card round matchup in Minnesota on Sunday -- just a month after their previous meeting -- some coaches might be tempted to ditch the tape of such a bad performance and start from scratch. But Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer said the team was learning from its earlier mistakes while prepping for the Seahawks.

"We look at it and see how they hurt us and the things they did against us," Zimmer told Seattle reporters in a Wednesday conference call. "They played very well in really every phase against us in that game. Defensively they got after us and offensively they got after us, so it was a pretty good butt-whipping."

Indeed.

In the third of what would become a five-game winning streak for Seattle, the Seahawks outgained the Vikings 433 yards to 125 in their most dominating defensive performance of the year.

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Eric Pinkins (47) celebrates a tackle against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt) Seattle Seahawks linebacker Eric Pinkins (47) celebrates a tackle against the Minnesota Vikings in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt) Photo: Ann Heisenfelt, Associated Press Photo: Ann Heisenfelt, Associated Press Image 1 of / 60 Caption Close Vikes' Zimmer hopes to avoid repeat of 'butt-whipping' to Seahawks 1 / 60 Back to Gallery

Seattle held Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson to just 18 yards on eight attempts, the third-worst performance of his career. Peterson would go on to lead the NFL in rushing, with 1,485 on the season.

On offense, Russell Wilson put together his third straight impressive performance, completing nearly 78 percent of his pass attempt for 274 yards with three touchdowns against just six incomplete passes.

Photo: Adam Bettcher, Getty Images Head coach Mike Zimmer of the Minnesota Vikings on the sidelines...

It would be just one of Wilson's standout efforts in a seven-game run to end the season in which he threw 24 touchdown passes against just one interception while completing over 70 percent of his passes at nearly 8.8 yards per attempt.

"He's playing outstanding," Zimmer said of Wilson. "Obviously he's got the running ability like (Vikings Hall-of-Famer) Fran Tarkenton, but he's also extremely accurate. I mean, that's what I've been most impressed with: his deep ball accuracy, his quick game accuracy, throwing the ball in the right place. He doesn't seem to make mistakes."

In the December matchup, Seahawks rookie running back Thomas Rawls rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on just 19 carries in his fourth and final 100-plus yard performance of the season, while an embattled offensive line allowed just two sacks on the afternoon.

Rawls suffered a season-ending broken ankle in the following week's game against the Baltimore Ravens, but Sunday's contest could see the return of Marshawn Lynch, who hasn't played since undergoing abdominal surgery on Nov. 25.

"We didn't stop the run in the first game very good," Zimmer said on Wednesday. "I'm sure (Lynch) is licking his chops. He's obviously a big, physical, hard-running back, and I think he adds another big-time dimension to what they're trying to do. So unfortunately for us, it'll be another tough test."

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