“It’s a chip shot, he’s got to make it.” Those were the words of Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer on Sunday evening after Blair Walsh missed an easy field goal to condemn his side to a 10-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

With the conditions being more suitable to planet Hoth, the temperature was —32ºC making it the third coldest play-off game in NFL history, both teams struggled to get any rhythm with the ball in the air and relied heavily on their ground game.

With victory in their hands, Walsh sent a 27-yard field goal wide of the goal posts, after earlier converting 47 and 43-yard field goals to put the home side 9-0 up heading into the final quarter.

“You’re confident, but you never think that you have it or take it for granted,” Walsh said, subdued with glassy eyes in the locker room afterward. “I just didn’t put a swing on it that would be acceptable by anybody’s standards.”

Adrian Peterson was given most of the carries by the Vikings but struggled to really impose himself on the game. Luckily for him, his side’s defence was outstanding.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was given no time in the pocket and it was a botched play which changed the entire dynamic of the game.

As the ball was snapped to Wilson, it was overthrown and the quarterback was forced to retreat 20 yards. With the play seemingly dead, Wilson scrambled and managed to find receiver Tyler Lockett in wide open space downfield for a 35-yard gain.

Lockett ran to set up the game’s only touchdown, when Wilson found Doug Baldwin in the endzone to bring the score to 9-7 with 12 minutes to play.

The Vikings went back to their tried and tested method of pounding the rock with Peterson only for Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor to strip the ball off the running back and force a turnover.

Seahawks took full advantage and scored a field goal to take the lead for the first time in the game.

With 1 minute 42 seconds left to play, Teddy Bridgewater, with the aid of a Chancellor pass interference penalty and tight-end Kevin Rudolph, got the home side into position to send the 2015 SuperBowl runners-up home.

But ball holder Jeff Locke had the laces turned in, not out, on the football which psychologically put Walsh off to skew his kick wide.

“We were fortunate that we got the win,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “A lot of those times, guys make those kicks. There’s a high percentage that they make them, but you’ve still got to do it.”

Seattle travel to Carolina to face the Panthers this week, leaving the Green Bay Packers to square off against the Arizona Cardinals.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offence looked back to their best, despite going 11-0 down away to Washington, as they scored four touchdowns to win 35-18.

“We got the tempo up, and they couldn’t keep up,” said Rodgers, who finished 21 for 36 for 210 yards and no turnovers. “We became a snowball, kind of going downhill, and it was tough for us to stop.”