The Seahawks had a chance to help their playoff chances last week while hosting a very good team from the NFC North.

A week later, the Seahawks are in a similar position, hosting the 12-2 Vikings following last weekend's home loss to the Packers, which ended a four-game winning streak for Seattle. At 8-6, the Seahawks still control their own destiny in the NFC West, but they know they need to finish strong in order for that to continue to be their reality heading into a Week 18 showdown with the Rams, who are also currently 8-6. The Vikings, meanwhile, are still in the running for the NFC's top seed, meaning this game has big implications for them as well despite having already clinched a playoff spot.

"Definitely a sense of urgency," said Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. "That's every week. Every week. We've got to take that approach every single week. We've been talking about being in playoff mode and all those things. Last home game. Big game against a really good team. We look forward to it. You know, our last home game of the season possibly so we'll see how it goes. Want to make sure we go out there and put on a good show for our fans."

With the Seahawks looking to put on a good show and improve upon a 3-5 home record, here are five things to watch in Sunday's game at Lumen Field:

1. Can the defense start faster against a tough Vikings offense?

Seattle's defensive turnaround was one of, if not the biggest, reasons behind the team going on a four-game winning streak to take over first place in the NFC West, so it was something of a surprise to see the Packers open the game with touchdowns on their first two possessions, and with scores on all four first-half possessions to build a 20-3 lead. The Seahawks defense settled down and played well in the second half, allowing just two scores while forcing four punts, a turnover and a turnover on downs, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit, especially with quarterback Geno Smith sidelined for much of the second half.

"Sloppy first half, that's it," middle linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. "We came out second half, they didn't really do to much… I felt like it was just a sloppy first half, not good football, and you can't beat teams like that."

Said safety Julian Love, "It's mainly just intention, making sure we're getting calls quick, get our cleats in the ground and just get going. Just trying to be intentional about getting that done in practice, kind of simulating that, because that's what teams are going to do, try to go fast, try to not let us get in a rhythm. So that's kind of the key."

Facing a balanced and explosive Vikings offense, the Seahawks know they can't afford another slow start if they're going to knock off one of the league's best teams. The Vikings rank in the top 10 in points scored, passing yards, passing touchdowns and net passing yards per attempt, while they rank a middle-of-the-pack 15^th in rushing. Between a resurgent quarterback Sam Darnold, explosive receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, running back Aaron Jones and others, the Vikings have plenty of ways to challenge an opposing defense.

"They have talent, they have a really good O-line, obviously some really stud receivers, leading with Justin Jefferson, good running back, and Sam Darnold is an experience guy," Love said. "With all those pieces, it leads them to be super balanced. They have a really good run game, then they have some good explosives. So that's the challenge, you can't just say, 'Let's focus all on 18 (Jefferson), let's focus all on loading the box up.' They force you to do it all."

2. Which team's highly productive receiving duo shines brighter?

As mentioned above, the Vikings have a dangerous receiving duo in Jefferson, a three-time Pro-Bowler who has over 1,000 in each of his first five seasons, and Addison, who is chasing his first 1,000-yard season after finishing his rookie season with 911 yards and 10 scores. Jefferson and Addison's combined 2,014 receiving yards is the second most by an NFL receiving duo this season trailing only Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who have combined for 2,082 yards.

Not far behind those two pairings are Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf, who have combined for 1,834 yards despite Metcalf missing two games due to injury. While Smith-Njigba, who is just six yards away from his first 1,000-yard season, has thrived of late, leading the team in receiving yards in seven straight games, the Seahawks are trying to find ways to get Metcalf the ball a bit more, despite the considerable attention defenses dedicated to slowing him down. Yes, the attention Metcalf gets from opposing defenses help Smith-Njigba and others find room to make plays, but the Seahawks still want to get the ball in his hands more often.

"It's a weekly balance," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. "DK's a weapon no matter what. We're lucky he has such a positive demeanor, he's just a stud. Just the way he goes about it, when he gets that much attention, it frees u other people to get the football. But at the same time, we're always working to get DK the football. Last week, this was probably the first time after the game, the next day, where I talked to him—it bothered me, it pissed me off that I couldn't get him the ball more. A guy like that, you've got to find ways to get him the football."

With Jefferson and Addison leading the way, the Vikings have 55 receptions of 20 or more yards this season, the most in the NFL, meaning Seattle's secondary will need to be on its game.

"Obviously we all know that they're elite receivers down the field, intermediate, they're great receivers and we've just got to play our game," safety Coby Bryant said. "… The catching, the route running, the yards after the catch as well. Just in all categories as well"

3. How does the Seahawks offense, and O-line in particular, respond to last week's loss while facing a dangerous Vikings pass rush that gives opponents "a lot to decipher"?

After playing its best game of the season in a win over Arizona, Seattle's offensive line wasn't as clean in last week's loss, contributing to the Packers recording seven sacks, tied for the most by a Seahawks opponent this season.

"We lost some inside battles," Grubb said. "Some of our games that we struggled with pass protection, those have been of our toughest games. If you look back to the Giants game, similar problem. We were losing on the inside, and it's tough to get help in there. So when you lose in there, it happens a lot quicker, and there's certainly some times that Geno just didn't have time to react. Those are things that you've got to shore up quickly, and we've certainly been working on that."

There were probably bound to be a few mistakes from a line featuring a rookie right guard, Sataoa Laumea, who took over a starting role just a few weeks ago, and an in-game change at center, which undrafted rookie Jalen Sundell taking over for an injured Olu Oluwatimi, but the Seahawks line, and the rest of the offense, still expect more out of themselves. And that group, as well as the rest of the offense, will have to be on top of its game against a dangerous Vikings pass rush that blitzes frequently, while also using simulated pressures to try to confuse offenses.

"First of all, up front, man, just got a lot of stout guys up front, a lot of veteran guys in their secondary," Smith said. "They do a lot as far as personnel, different fronts. They like to show you a lot of different blitz looks and try to confuse the quarterback in that way. I think they have a really good scheme, really good plan. (Defensive coordinator Brian) Flores has done a great job with those guys. It's something kind of similar to Arizona where it's going to be like blitz bluff bandit. It's a period we have in practice. Is it Cover 0? Are they going back to Cover 2? Are they spinning it to Cover 3? So a lot to decipher. Try to put pressure on the quarterback in that way; they've done a great job."

4. Can Seattle's offense be more productive in the red zone.

The Seahawks rank 24^th in red zone conversions this season, scoring touchdowns on just 52.8 percent of their trips inside the red zone, and over the past three games, that conversion rate has dipped to 44.4 percent.

Minnesota, meanwhile, ranks 13^th in red zone defense, but over their past three games they are allowing touchdowns on only 28.6 percent of their opponents' red zone trips, the lowest conversion rate in the NFL. In other words, for the Seahawks to buck their recent trend of leaving points on the field, they're going to have to turn things around against what, in recent weeks, has been the league's best defense in the red zone. Running the ball better would certainly help, but Smith also says he can do more after throwing an interception in the red zone last week.

"Process over results," Smith said. "I think as long as you stick to the process, the results will come. Over the course of my time here I've done exceptionally well in the red zone; this year, not so much. So yeah, got to fix some things. Got to figure out some things. We're doing that internally. I'm doing that myself. So, we're looking to improve on those, the red zone. You never want to have turnovers, and I feel like that's happened to us far too many times. I'm the main culprit so I've got to fix that, and I look forward to doing so."

5. Can the Seahawks play better at home, to give themselves a better shot at playing another home game?

While the Seahawks have been outstanding on the road this season, winning five of six away from Seattle, they have struggled at Lumen Field since winning their first two home games of the season, losing five of their last six at home. Seahawks fans still bring plenty of passion to gameday, so the team would like to reward them with a win in the final regular-season home game of the year, helping increase their odds of hosing another game or two in the postseason if they can win the NFC West.

"What we can do is go out there and be the best team at home," Smith said. "Give our fans something to cheer about. Give them something to want to pack the stadium and be a part of it. Like I said, they been that since I've been here, before I got here, and I think that will be long after I'm gone. You know, this fan base is one of the best. Like I said, I mean, the more we win the atmosphere gets crazier and crazier. That's something we're building and working towards."