Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about Facebook Email Monday's NFL: Seahawks on brink of playoffs after beating Vikings Bobby Wagner blocked Dan Bailey’s field goal attempt midway through the fourth quarter, sparking the Seahawks to two late touchdowns and a 21-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, Seattle’s fourth straight victory. Post to Facebook Monday's NFL: Seahawks on brink of playoffs after beating Vikings Bobby Wagner blocked Dan Bailey’s field goal attempt midway through the fourth quarter, sparking the Seahawks to two late touchdowns and a 21-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, Seattle’s fourth straight victory. Check out this story on detroitnews.com: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/2018/12/11/mondays-nfl-seahawks-brink-playoffs-after-beating-vikings/2273988002/ Cancel Send A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Join the Conversation To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Monday's NFL: Seahawks on brink of playoffs after beating Vikings Associated Press Published 12:13 a.m. ET Dec. 11, 2018 Chris Carson of the Seattle Seahawks dives past Ben Gedeon of the Minnesota Vikings for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. (Photo: Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) CONNECT COMMENT EMAIL MORE Seattle — Bobby Wagner blocked Dan Bailey’s field goal attempt midway through the fourth quarter, sparking the Seahawks to two late touchdowns and a 21-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night, Seattle’s fourth straight victory. Chris Carson followed the blocked kick with a 2-yard TD run with 2:53 left, and Justin Coleman provided the capper with a 29-yard fumble return touchdown 18 seconds later. What was an ugly and mostly forgettable first three quarters turned into a Seattle party in the fourth as the Seahawks (8-5) moved to the brink of wrapping up a wild-card spot in the NFC. One win in Seattle’s final three games – including matchups with lowly San Francisco and Arizona – should be enough to put the Seahawks into the postseason. Minnesota (6-6-1) twice had scoring chances in the fourth quarter when it was still a one-score game but was turned away each time. Minnesota’s chances of winning the NFC North took a major hit, but the Vikings still hold the No. 6 spot in the NFC. Wagner has been one of the top linebackers in the NFL this season, but it was a debatable special teams play that made the difference. The question was whether his leap over the line of scrimmage was legal to block Bailey’s 47-yard field goal attempt with 5:38 left. Wagner’s jump through a gap in Minnesota’s offensive line was fine, but it appeared he used his teammates to gain leverage, which allowed him to come through and block the kick. A flag was initially thrown but was picked up by the officials. Seattle took possession and Russell Wilson immediately scrambled 40 yards deep into Minnesota territory. Five plays later, Carson scored and Seattle finally had a cushion. Two plays after that, Jacob Martin sacked Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and the ball popped to Coleman, who weaved his way for the clinching touchdown. Cousins threw a 6-yard touchdown to Dalvin Cook with 1:10 remaining, but Seattle recovered the onside kick. Wilson had one of the worst passing games of his career, completing 10 of 20 for career-low 72 yards and a baffling interception late in the first half, one of the many mistakes by Seattle that allowed Minnesota to hang around. But Seattle’s ground game was outstanding against one of the better run defenses in the NFL. The Seahawks finished with 214 yards rushing, led by 90 yards from Carson. Minnesota hung around despite failing to run a play in Seattle territory until there was 4:16 left in the third quarter. Cousins was 20 of 33 for 208 yards, most of that coming late. But he failed to get the Vikings into the end zone from inside the Seattle 5 while trailing 6-0 early in the fourth quarter. The Vikings had first-and-goal at the Seattle 4 but turned the ball over on downs with 9:06 remaining. Two short runs and an incompletion brought up fourth-and-goal at the 1, and Cousins’ pass for Kyle Rudolph was knocked away by Bradley McDougald. Bailey’s field goal was blocked on Minnesota’s next drive. Sebastian Janikowski hit field goals of 37 and 35 yards to account for all of Seattle’s scoring until the closing minutes. Raiders fire GM McKenzie The Oakland Raiders fired general manager Reggie McKenzie on Monday, less than two years after he was named the NFL’s executive of the year. McKenzie was let go from the position he had held for almost seven seasons a day after Oakland beat Pittsburgh 24-21 for its third win of the season. The Raiders announced the move in a brief statement thanking McKenzie for his time in Oakland and wishing him well. McKenzie’s status was in doubt ever since coach Jon Gruden was given a 10-year contract last January to take charge of the football operation for the Raiders. McKenzie’s influence had waned since then, with the Raiders cutting ties with several of the players he had acquired, most notably edge rusher Khalil Mack and receiver Amari Cooper. “I’m not going to sit up here today and talk about any disconnect,” Gruden said. “We were connected. We were very good friends and very connected. I’ll leave it at that.” McKenzie was the first major hire made by owner Mark Davis after he took over the team following the death of his father, Al, in 2011. McKenzie modernized the franchise, got the team out of salary cap purgatory, and built a roster that won 12 games under coach Jack Del Rio in 2016, earning him honors as the league’s top executive. But the Raiders slumped to a 6-10 record last season, leading Davis to fire Del Rio and get Gruden to take the hefty contract after years of courting. Gruden set out to overhaul the roster, trading away and cutting many of McKenzie’s draft picks. Jags say fans yelled slurs Jaguars coach Doug Marrone says running back Leonard Fournette was responding to racial slurs while yelling at a fan in Nashville, Tennessee last Thursday night. Fournette declined to address the accusation in the locker room Monday on the advice of his agent. Teammate and fellow running back T.J. Yeldon, however, said several fans directed racial slurs at Jacksonville players. “Did I hear it? Yeah,” Yeldon said. “All the running backs and people on the offensive side were hearing the exchange. “All night. All night. All day they was calling us racial slurs, all game.” Fournette was shown in a video released by TMZ telling someone in the stands he was going to “beat your (butt)” before two teammates pulled him away. Another clip shows Fournette near the bench yelling into the stands while Yeldon looks on. Extra points This is what it’s come to for Washington: Their fourth quarterback of a once-promising, now-lost season, Josh Johnson, will make his first NFL start since 2011 and spent time playing the “Madden NFL” video game to try to pick up something about his new teammates. ... The Titans, trying to climb back into an AFC wild-card spot, will be without starting tight end Jonnu Smith and right tackle Jack Conklin against the New York Giants. CONNECT COMMENT EMAIL MORE