Vikings agony as Seahawks squeeze through in NFL playoff showdown

Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh missed a straightforward last-gasp field goal as the Seattle Seahawks overcame sub-zero conditions to win 10-9 and set up an NFL playoff showdown with the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Walsh, who had drilled three harder field goals to put the Vikings 9-0 ahead earlier in the game, looked set to clinch a dramatic victory as he stepped up for a 27-yard three-pointer with 26 seconds left.

But to the horror of Vikings team-mates and fans in an ice-encrusted US Bank Stadium, Walsh pulled his chip shot well wide of the posts and the Seahawks couldn't believe their luck as they snatched a fortuitous win.

"Crazy things happen in the playoffs," said Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

"It was an ugly game, we didn't play very good on offense. That's on me. I take the blame for that we've got to be better.

"But look, we kept battling. You've got to keep battling in the playoffs you've got keep battling every opportunity you've got.
"Defense was lights-out for us tonight. They made so many big plays for us that kept us in the game."

The Seahawks had rallied from nine points down late in the third quarter to take the lead in a game that had kicked off with temperatures at minus six degrees Fahrenheit (minus 21 Celsius) - the third coldest game in NFL history.

The second coldest game ever was the 1981 AFC championship clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Diego Chargers, where the temperature was at minus nine.

The coldest game remains the iconic 1967 "Ice Bowl" between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, where the temperature was minus 13 at kickoff.

For a while it looked as if the Seahawks -- who had demolished Minnesota 38-7 in a one-sided regular season meeting last month -- were set to catch a cold, with quarterback Wilson unable to find his rhythm.

Instead it was the Vikings who edged ahead, with three field goals from the boot of Walsh.

Walsh opened the scoring in a defense-dominated first half after a bungled punt from the Seahawks Jon Ryan resulted in a turnover.

Walsh added a second field goal to make it 6-0 at half-time before a 47-yard effort made it 9-0 late in the third.

But Seattle hit back with a touchdown through Doug Baldwin after a seven-play 80-yard drive to make it 9-7, which included a crucial improvised 35-yard broken play from Wilson to Tyler Lockett.

Steven Hauschka then calmly slotted a 46-yard field goal with 8:04 left to put the Seahawks ahead 10-9.
SourcE: AFP