FILE - In this May 1, 2015, file photo, Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie listens to questions at a news conference in Alameda, Calif. The Raiders have fired general manager Reggie McKenzie less than two years after he was named the NFL's executive of the year. A person familiar with the move says McKenzie was let go on Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, from the position he had held for almost seven seasons. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not made an announcement.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
FILE - In this May 1, 2015, file photo, Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie listens to questions at a news conference in Alameda, Calif. The Raiders have fired general manager Reggie McKenzie less than two years after he was named the NFL's executive of the year. A person familiar with the move says McKenzie was let go on Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, from the position he had held for almost seven seasons. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not made an announcement.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) Credit: Jeff Chiu

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 games against 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.

Raiders Fire GM

Alameda, Calif. — 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 former draft picks. That accelerated a week before the start of the season when Mack was dealt to Chicago for a package including two first-round picks and then Cooper was dealt in October to Dallas for another first-round pick.