The Minnesota Vikings face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14 and experts don’t like the chances of the purple and gold in the Monday Night Football matchup.
Once again, for the third time in four weeks, the Minnesota Vikings will be locked in a prime-time affair against the surging Seattle Seahawks in a game that will have major implications on the playoff race.
Their game on Monday Night Football will be a chance for the Vikings to prove they belong among the NFL’s best in the playoff picture and inch closer to the division-leading Chicago Bears while Seattle’s division is already locked down by the Los Angeles Rams.
Experts aren’t liking the chances of Minnesota during this contest, with a majority of them choosing the Seahawks to defend their home turf. Let’s see the breakdown of some of the more notable picks.
Picking the Minnesota Vikings
- Pro Football Talk – Mike Florio: “It’s desperation time for the Vikings, who may be abandoning John DeFilippo in Seattle if he abandons the run, again.” (24-22)
- SBNation: Adam Stites
When it’s only Florio and Stites that like the chances of Minnesota to beat the Seahawks, that’s not a good sign. While going on the road again after being beaten by the Patriots isn’t a great thing, the Vikings should be hungry to get a win.
Picking the Seattle Seahawks
- Bleacher Report – Consensus: “Teams quarterbacked by Kirk Cousins have won only five of 17 prime-time games.” (21-27)
- CBS Sports: Pete Prisco, Jason LaCanfora, Will Brinson, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, John Breech, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg
- CBS Sports – Pete Prisco: “Kirk Cousins has struggled in prime-time games, and I think that plays out here. Seahawks take it.” (16-21)
- CBS Sports – Ryan Wilson: “In case you’re wondering, Seattle has a 90.2 percent chance qualify the postseason while Minnesota is looking at a 63.2 percent chance.” (17-21)
- NFL.com – Elliot Harrison: “The running scene of Seattle does, to the tune of 148.8 per game (tops in the NFL), and that will be the difference Monday night.” (22-28)
- Pro Football Talk – MDS: “This is a big one in the NFC wild card race, and I’m expecting the Seahawks to win and show their “rebuilding” season is actually a playoff season” (17-30)
- SBNation: RVB, Stephen White, Geoff Schwartz, Charles McDonald, Christian D’Andrea, Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.
- Sporting News – Vinnie Iyer: “Minnesota will keep it close, but Seattle will take more control of an NFC wild-card in the end.” (24-27)
- Sporting News – David Steele: “The Vikings offense had better come back from wherever they seem to go every other week.” (19-31)
- USA Today: Jarrett Bell (24-29), Nate Davis (27-28), Mike Jones (24-27), Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz (20-24), Lorenzo Reyes (21-24)
It’s understandable to like the Seahawks in this game. Seattle has home-field advantage and won three games in a row since starting the season with a 4-5 record. They are running the ball well and have proven to be efficient in the passing game as well with a new-look defense coming together.
Still, the game needs to be played and there is a solid chance Minnesota can play spoiler on Monday Night. Seattle is currently three-point favorites according to Oddsshark, so a win by the Vikings wouldn’t be too shocking after all.
Do you think the Minnesota Vikings will be able to defeat the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football to improve to 7-5-1 on the season or will they fall back to .500 heading into the final three games? Let us know your pick in the comments section.