Day two of our Wild Card extravaganza begins with the Seattle Seahawks (10-6) taking on the AFC North champion Minnesota Vikings (11-5) what could be one of the coldest football games in NFL history. It’s literally -4.4 degrees there as I type this.
Scroll on down for the live blog or keep reading for some preview information.
First here’s my pick from The FAQ.
Seattle at Minnesota (+5)
The Vikings (11-5) may end up wishing they’d laid down and let the Packers beat them last week as their reward for claiming the NFC North title is a rematch with the Seahawks (10-6) a team that beat them 38-7 on their home field a month ago. What’s different this time? Marshawn Lynch is going to play. That’s what’s different.
Minnesota still has plenty to feel good about in this game. They’ve won their last three straight games and put up plenty of points in the process, scoring 38 on Chicago and 49 on the Giants. Against Green Bay last week their defense was able to almost completely shut down everything the Packers wanted to do, especially attack downfield.
With the exception of a 23-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams, the Seahawks have been on fire since mid-November. Seattle won six of their last seven games, putting the aforementioned beat-down on the Vikings along with a 39-30 win over the Steelers and an embarrassing 36-6 shellacking of the Arizona Cardinals last week. There’s still too much fight in this Seattle team to go out yet. Seahawks 26, Vikings 16
And here’s my entries for both teams in the final regular season Power Rankings.
7. Minnesota Vikings – (11-5) The Vikings got the job done against the Packers Sunday, but unlike the Chiefs get the worst possible draw, the Seattle Seahawks. Last week: No. 8
8. Seattle Seahawks – (10-6) Speaking of the Seahawks, not many teams enter the playoffs hotter. Seattle lost just one game in its last seven including a Shawshank Redemption shower scene reenactment in Arizona last Sunday. Last week: No. 11
And here’s our GMS Preview.
This NFC Wild Card Playoff game will take place at TCF Bank Stadium with both the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings seeking to stay alive. The NFL’s leading rusher, Adrian Peterson (1,485 yards, 11 TDs), will be a player to watch in this game. Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan 10 and will air on NBC.
In last week’s game, Minnesota got a win over the Packers 20-13. Everson Griffen led the defensive effort for Minnesota in the victory, recording five tackles and two sacks. Seattle also won last week, cruising past the Cardinals 36-6. Christine Michael had a huge game running the ball for the Seahawks, dashing 17 times for 102 yards. Russell Wilson chipped in with 197 yards and three TDs through the air.
The Seahawks take on the Vikings as a four-point favorite this week. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 42 points.
Sitting at 11-5 Straight Up (SU) and 13-3 Against The Spread (ATS), the Vikings will look to improve heading into Week 18. In their five most recent matchups, the Vikings went 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS. Minnesota has averaged 26 points per game over the last five weeks, higher than its season average of 22.8. The Vikings love to run, ranking fourth in the league with 29.6 rushing attempts per game. As for the Minnesota defense, a few key matchups could decide this game. The Vikings will need to attack the quarterback against the Seahawks, who rank 27th in sacks allowed with 2.9 per game. Minnesota makes the most of its talent on special teams, averaging a league-high 107.2 return yards per game.
Shifting to the opposition, the Seahawks head into Week 18 with records of 8-7-1 ATS and 10-6 SU. Over their last five games, the Seahawks have a SU and ATS record of 4-1. Seattle has made opposing defenses suffer as of late, averaging 31 points per game over the last five games. This improved stretch brought its season average to 26.4 PPG. Seattle yields excellent returns with its running attack, where its 141.8 rushing yards per game ranks third in the league. Seattle’s league-best road scoring defense is not swayed by home-field advantage, allowing 15.2 points per away game this year. Seattle is a terrifying group for opposing offenses. The Seahawks give up 210.2 yards per game through the air, second in the league. The Minnesota offensive line is in for a challenge this week, because the Seahawks get to opposing quarterbacks with ease during their away games. The Seahawks defense is currently third in the league with an average of 2.8 sacks per road game. It’ll be difficult to keep Seattle’s offense off the field this week. The team’s average time of possession is 32:14, ranking fourth in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sea, ATS Winner – Sea, O/U – Under
The game is on NBC at 1 p.m. Let’s watch it.
