The Minnesota Vikings entered a must-win game against the Seattle Seahawks and punished the birds back to the west coast with a final score of 30-17.

Seattle received the ball first and marched down the field because D.K. Metcalf and Russell Wilson are just that good. The two connected on a touchdown shortly after a 28-yard reception.

Minnesota answered that score on the next drive after a few great plays from Alexander Mattison with a touchdown from Tyler Conklin. After missing a game-winning field goal last week, Greg Joseph drilled the extra point right down the middle.

Minnesota’s defense hasn’t been great this season, and they allowed Chris Carson to march into the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown.

Adam Thielen has been Thielen himself, as he caught his fourth touchdown of the season to bring the score within 3 (17-14).

Justin Jefferson was finally able to hit the Griddy in front of fans, and it was perfect. The former first-round pick put the Vikings on top heading into halftime.

Even though the Vikings may not have tallied a lot of sacks, they didn’t make things easy for Wilson. They made it difficult for Seattle to score and caused them to punt on their only possession in the third quarter.

For as much slack as Kirk Cousins receives, he outdueled Wilson and looked phenomenal. Very few mistakes and the ones he did make weren’t costly. The throws and decisions he executed were perfect.

Minnesota’s defense and offense cohesively worked together in the second half and commanded the game. They shut down Seattle’s offense, and the Vikings’ offense worked down the field and didn’t look pressured.

In a crucial fourth down with a little over two minutes remaining, the Seahawks threw a deep ball to Penny Hart, but Harrison Smith came over and caused an incomplete pass.

That play caused the Vikings to take over the game up 13 and eventually won their first game of the season.

Positional Grades:

Quarterback:

There weren’t many things Cousins did wrong against the Seahawks. He finished the game with a completion percentage of 78.9 percent and a quarterback rating of 128.4. There are obvious weaknesses in his game, but he showed up in a big way when they needed him most.

Grade: A

Running Back:

It was going to be a difficult assignment replacing Dalvin Cook, but Mattison came up big. There’s an argument to be made that he’s the best backup in the league and would probably be starting on a handful of teams. This week he averaged 4.3 yards per carry and made several big plays off screen passes.

Grade: A

Wide Receiver:

Minnesota arguably has the best receiving core in the league. That might be biased, but in all honesty, they performed exceptionally well. It also helps when your quarterback was as sharp as he was. Thielen continues to be a touchdown machine, and Jefferson put on a show playing in front of Vikings fans for the first time. He finished with nine receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown.

Grade: A

Tight End:

After an unmemorable Week 2, Conklin was a big part of the offense this week. He caught his second-career touchdown and came up big on a few first downs. He finished with 70 yards and a touchdown.

Grade: A+

Offensive Line:

For as bad as the offensive line has been in the past, they looked great today. They allowed Cousins with plenty of time in the pocket and gave Mattison plenty of holes.

Grade: A+

Defensive Line:

• Minnesota’s defensive line has had a difficult task the last two weeks against Kyler Murray and Wilson, but they looked good for the most part. It wasn’t perfect, and it never will when facing one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but they caused plenty of pressure and made Wilson’s life difficult.

Grade: B

Linebackers:

• After a great Week 2 for the linebacker core, they finished this week pretty quiet. Eric Kendricks and Nick Vigil combined for 10 tackles, including a clutch sack late in the fourth quarter from Kendricks.

Grade: D+

Secondary:

• The secondary has had a difficult task facing some tough wide receivers, but they had their moments in Week 3. In their defense, most players don’t have much success against Wilson. Bashaud Breeland struggled once again, but Patrick Peterson picked up some of the slack.

Grade: C+

Special Teams:

• All eyes were on Joseph after missing the game-winning field goal against the Arizona Cardinals. He showed up in a big way for the Vikings, converting on three extra points, and went three-for-three on field goals.

Grade: A

What’s Next?

The Vikings will play the Cleveland Browns for their second-straight home game. The Browns are 2-1 and are coming off a dominating win against the Chicago Bears. If Minnesota wants to walk into Week 5 .500, they’ll need to follow the same recipe of success in Week 3.