Seattle Seahawks: 3 Bold predictions vs. Vikings, Week 13

1. Tyler Lockett takes it to Minnesota

Minnesota’s pass defense is a surprising weakness for the team this season. The Vikings give up 244.5 passing yards per game, which ranks 20th in the NFL. Quarterbacks who face the Vikings post a 90.9 passer rating on average, which puts Minnesota in the bottom half of the league. Lockett and Wilson must capitalize on this weakness.

Lockett and Wilson are well known for their incredible chemistry. Wilson posted a perfect passer rating last season when targeting Lockett, which is ridiculous considering Lockett was the team’s leading receiver. The duo has one of the best connections in the NFL, and that will show against Minnesota.

This year, both of Seattle’s offensive stars are in the midst of career seasons. Wilson is chasing an MVP while Lockett is trending toward his first Pro Bowl nod as a wide receiver. Lockett was slowed down during his previous two games by an injury, but he will be in peak form against Minnesota.

When healthy, Lockett has elite speed and has developed a full route tree over the past few seasons. In the past, Xavier Rhodes had an advantage over Lockett. However, the former All-Pro cornerback and Lockett are trending in different directions. Rhodes doesn’t have an interception this season and is on pace to miss the Pro Bowl for a second consecutive season.

The Vikings invested a lot of high draft picks in cornerbacks over the past several years, and the returns are disappointing. Trae Waynes, a first-round pick in 2015, is a mediocre starter. 2016 second-round pick, Mackensie Alexander hasn’t cracked the starting lineup consistently. Mike Hughes, a 2018 first-round selection, has started his career slowly and can be a liability at times.

For all of Minnesota’s talent, their cornerbacks cannot matchup with Lockett, especially considering his connection with Wilson. D.K. Metcalf will get his fair share of targets too, but all eyes will be on Lockett come Monday.