Seattle Seahawks: 3 Bold predictions vs. Vikings, Week 13
By Samuel Teets
The Seattle Seahawks have their hearts set on the top seed in the NFC. Their path toward a playoff bye continues in Week 13 against Minnesota.
The Seattle Seahawks relied heavily on their defense in Week 12. Russell Wilson and Seattle’s offense faltered against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the defense forced five turnovers and buoyed a Seahawks victory. If Pete Carroll’s squad can fix their offense and get the same defensive performance against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13, the Seahawks will earn their tenth win of the season.
The key for Seattle is finding that sweet middle ground where both the defense and offense are in the flow of the game. Against Philadelphia, the passing and running games were almost nonexistent. However, the defense has also failed to show up several times this season. Against a problematic Minnesota team, the Seahawks cannot afford an uneven approach.
Here are three bold predictions for Seattle in this Monday Night Football meeting against the Vikings.
3. Seahawks take a stand against Dalvin Cook
Week 13 comes down to Seattle’s offense against Minnesota’s all-around team. That’s the same narrative I peddled when Seattle squared off against San Francisco, and I was incorrect. Seattle’s defense, specifically the pass rush and run defense, played a much more significant role in that game than I expected. Week 13 looks like a similar scenario.
The Seahawks held the 49ers to 87 rushing yards, which was about half of the team’s usual average at the time. Now, the Seahawks face the fourth-best rushing team in the league. If Seattle wants to even the tables defensively, the team needs Jadeveon Clowney, K.J. Wright, Jarran Reed, and Bobby Wagner all focused on shutting down the running game.
Seattle also faced the Baltimore Ravens earlier this season. The Ravens are by far the best rushing team, and they torched Seattle for 199 yards. However, 116 of those yards went to Lamar Jackson, a weapon the Vikings can’t replicate. Baltimore’s running backs and wide receivers only totaled 83 rushing yards.
Despite being ranked tenth in run defense, allowing 101.5 yards per game, the Seahawks can shut down top rushing offenses. Disrupting Cook’s rhythm will swing the odds of Monday’s game in favor of Seattle.