The Minnesota Vikings play the Seattle Seahawks Monday night with playoff seeding at stake. A win, and they’ll have plenty of security as the schedule lightens up in the final three weeks. A loss, and the Vikings will have to sweat out Weeks 15-17 to sneak in the playoff field.
Before throwing out a prediction, here’s some pregame reading from the last week.
A look at Minnesota’s imbalanced first-down playcalling.
An overview of Seattle’s rebuilt secondary.
How two Vikings coordinators are handling scrutiny after a difficult stretch.
A review of what Sunday’s results meant for the Vikings.
Injury Situation
For Minnesota: Still no Chad Beebe (hamstring) or David Morgan (knee), two minor (but potentially valuable) pieces offensively. On defense, Trae Waynes (concussion) will miss the game, leaving starting cornerback responsibilities to rookie Holton Hill once again. Eric Kendricks (ribs) is questionable.
For Seattle: No K.J. Wright (knee) at linebacker, and probably no D.J. Fluker (hamstring, doubtful) on the offensive line. Fullback Tre Madden (chest), running back Rashaad Penny (ankle) and receiver Doug Baldwin (hip) are all questionable, so it seems least likely that Baldwin plays after missing the entire week of practice.
Key stat
Let’s just let the tweet speak for itself, with an assist to ESPN’s’ Courtney Cronin.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks have the best Monday Night Football winning percentage in NFL history (23-10, 70%). https://t.co/3wfnVDfnF9
— Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom) December 6, 2018
Two X-Factors
For Minnesota: Everson Griffen does not seem to have rediscovered his usual form since returning from an absence where he addressed his mental health. In a game where the Vikings’ ends must contain Russell Wilson in the pocket, Griffen will need to stay disciplined in his rush lanes, whether he records a sack or not. He’ll also need to be stout in the run game against the Seahawks’ run-heavy approach.
For Seattle: Depending on Doug Baldwin’s health, the Seahawks could be leaning on David Moore as their WR2. Moore didn’t come onto the scene until Sept. 30, but he has five touchdowns over the last eight games and recorded his first 100-yard game two weeks ago. If the Vikings opt to put Xavier Rhodes on top pass-catching threat Tyler Lockett, then Moore could draw Hill, the rookie, in coverage.
Prediction
The Vikings have never beaten Russell Wilson, they’re winless against winning teams this year, and they’ve struggled on the road. Nothing about this matchup looks good on paper.
This is Minnesota’s last chance to prove it can beat a playoff-caliber team outside of U.S. Bank Stadium. It’s a big ask, though, against a team as well-balanced as the Seahawks. For the Vikings to win, they’ll need a big offensive game, but Cousins hasn’t looked great in inclement conditions this season.
Seahawks 23, Vikings 17
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