The (1-3) Minnesota Vikings head to CenturyLink Field to battle with the (4-0) Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. Kirk Cousins, the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback, has been criticized for his inability to win in primetime games but Week 5 gives him a chance to prove those critics wrong. The Minnesota Vikings as a whole have looked like one of the league’s worst teams aside from the bright spot rookie sensation Justin Jefferson.
The Seattle Seahawks are one of the shining beacons in the NFC and a great example of what good football looks like. Russell Wilson is taking command of his offense, going so far as to take some play calling into his own hands. The Seahawks are clearly the more sound squad in this matchup, but can Minnesota pull off an upset and defeat Seattle for the first time since 2009?
Minnesota Tries To Rewrite The Story In Week 5
The Vikings narrowly escaped Houston with a win last Sunday. If not for a controversial ruling against the Texans, Minnesota could easily be 0-4 right now. For the Vikings to be successful, they need to run the ball efficiently.
One of the reasons Minnesota has lost three games is because they stray away from the run early on in the game, forcing Cousins to throw downfield. This lapse in composure has led to the Vikings downfall, and teams around the league have been exposing this weakness.
Another issue the Vikings face is the departure of nine defensive starters over the offseason due to salary cap issues. They lost both starting DBs, Xavier Rhodes and Trey Waynes, leaving rookies to fill the void. The result has been the absolute collapse of the formerly strong Vikings secondary. With Seattle next up on the schedule, I don’t imagine the defense will look much better.
Russell Wilson’s Shining In Seattle
If you took a poll around the NFL about who the NFC favorite for the Super Bowl is, I’d wager around 70% of votes would go to the Seattle. From their efficiency running the ball, to Wilson’s ability to rally back from a deficit, the entire team is made up of winners. DK Metcalf is coming into his own as a premier receiver in the NFL and the team is third in the league in total yards-per-game.
Seattle is one of the most well-rounded teams in the league, and they’ll be facing the Swiss cheese secondary of Minnesota. Needless to say, the rookie defensive backs are in for trouble when they face Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on Sunday night, under the bright lights of primetime.
Who To Take In An Obviously One-sided Game?
There are analysts around the league saying that the Vikings are going to shock everyone, and walk out of Seattle with a win on Sunday night. My response is, in the last eleven years the Minnesota Vikings haven’t beat the Seahawks once. Even when they were considered to have one of the league’s most dominant defenses they lost 21-7.
Now, with two rookies who have been exposed through the first four weeks tasked with defending Metcalf, Lockett, and Co., the Vikings defense is in real trouble. Not to mention they’ve had next to no pass rush this season and linebacker Anthony Barr is out for the year with an injury. Look for Seattle to get out ahead early and coast to 5-0, covering the seven-point spread.
