Wildcard Weekend Predictions: Vikings vs Seahawks

[slapnut19]

gotta keep this in mind as well. as great as the seahawks last two playoff runs have been, they had all their games at home. being on the road in artic conditions is going to unnerve them imo, especially after playing their last game in climate controlled arizona.

[J. Kapp 11]

Potential X-Factor ...

Cordarrelle Patterson in the return game.

With temps so cold, it will be harder for the kickers to put it out of the end zone. CP should have a chance or two (not TOO many, I hope). He's been heating up in the return game, including a TD against the Seahawks.

If the game is close, one big play on special teams could turn the tide. When it comes to kickoff returns, there's nobody better than CP.

[PacificNorseWest]

Potential X-Factor ...

Cordarrelle Patterson in the return game.

With temps so cold, it will be harder for the kickers to put it out of the end zone. CP should have a chance or two (not TOO many, I hope). He's been heating up in the return game, including a TD against the Seahawks.

If the game is close, one big play on special teams could turn the tide. When it comes to kickoff returns, there's nobody better than CP.

We would all love that. It goes the other way too though. Tyler Lockett as a rookie is already one of the better return men in the game and the Vikes have to worry about him not just on kickoffs, but punts too.

Special teams as a whole could be a major x-factor. Priefer gets a lot of praise as a ST's coach, so he's up to the challenge. Players have to execute though and another thing to keep in mind is that Seattle puts a lot of starters on their special teams units, like Richard Sherman, so it should be a good battle, game within the game, come Sunday.

[S197]

Any given Sunday. If the Seahawks are the "best" team on paper right now, I'd prefer to play them at home. You need to go through the best eventually, may as well get it out of the way.

Vikings - 23, Seattle - 21

[Purple Reign]

Nay.

The reason I asked if you were British is because you used the term 'learnt', which evidently is popular in England but not so much in the US.

[John_Viveiros]

Not sure I fully agree-- or I'm just not understanding the positions put forth.

This is the relevant section I believe (http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures):
So after GB is eliminated, SEA takes the #5 because it beat DET 13-10 in week 4. It reverts back to #1 under 'Two Clubs' after GB is eliminated.

Then for the final spot it would pit DET vs GB and DET would get the #6 seed for 2 HtoH wins. Not sure how you and the original poster both suggested DET would get the #5 seed over SEA, but if they had, then SEA would have gone against GB for the final position per the 2nd set of red text and GB would have gone. But I'm pretty sure this scenario has SEA at #5 and DET at #6.

We were speculating on the Lions getting BOTH wins that they deserved - the last Packers game and the Seahawks game with the illegal bat by the Seahawks (that's what gets them to the conversation at 9-7, taking one win each from current 10-6 GB and SEA). At that point, DET gets the #5 over SEA due to the head to head "victory", and then it reverts to SEA and GB for the #6 seed, and GB takes that with their actual win over SEA.

I was wondering for weeks what effect the phantom facemask would have on the playoff picture. I know some of you inherently reject any hypothetical discussions like this - if so, just move along. I find it fascinating that the team that is considered by some to be the most dangerous team in the playoffs could have actually missed the playoffs had the replay rules covered penalties like these. And I feel really bad for Detroit, who got really screwed this year.

[Husker Vike]

If they reseeded the playoffs we would be playing Washington at home, I'd like that option better, but since that won't happen I'll say we find a way and win 20-17. If the Rams can beat them twice I hope we figure out what it takes for a victory.

[808vikingsfan]

Found this post in another forum. Just thought I'd share it here.

I've been a Viking fan since 1972 and my passionate bond to this team was built watching frozen playoff games from the Met. Bud standing on the sidelines, Fran scrambling, Chuck with a spin move, Blair blocking a punt, Krause with a pick and the Purple People Eaters meeting at the QB. Two of my best friends were Cowboys and Ram fans and we would play Staubach vs Fran or Foreman vs. McCutcheon. I thought that the Vikings would be in the playoffs every year and that we would always win because of the cold and snow. Silly kid.

I'm grateful that I'll have another opportunity to watch outside playoff game in Minnesota. Probably the last one in my lifetime. I'll be able to watch it with my kids and tell them that this is the way it was in the old days.

Regardless of the outcome, Sunday will be a good day.

[Norv Zimmer]

I AM GOING! Me and two buddies are driving from fargo for the game sunday morning, sitting 4th row in a endzone. Never sat in a endzone before. The bad news is one of my buddies is a hawks fan

[Randolph Panther]

Good luck Vikings

Vikings 24
Seahawks 19

[dead_poet]

I AM GOING! Me and two buddies are driving from fargo for the game sunday morning, sitting 4th row in a endzone. Never sat in a endzone before. The bad news is one of my buddies is a hawks fan

That's awesome. Don't freeze and cheer loudly. If the Vikings can pull this off it'd be a pretty awesome moment to watch in person.

[PurpleMustReign]

The tickets are fairly cheap on Stubhub because of the cold.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Mothman]

From Tom Pelissero:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nf ... /78247488/

The Minnesota Vikings’ formula for knocking off the Seattle Seahawks may already be on tape.

Just not tape of last month’s meeting with the Seahawks, who crushed the Vikings in all phases of a 38-7 stomping that Minnesota will try to avenge in next weekend’s wild-card playoff against the two-time defending NFC champions.

“Apparently, we just need to watch St. Louis play them and do what they do,” Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway told USA TODAY Sports as he left the visitor’s locker room at Lambeau Field after Sunday’s 20-13 upset of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North title tilt.

Greenway was at least partly kidding. But there’s truth there for a Vikings team that’s built on defense and a strong running game in a similar mold to the punishing Rams, who have been Seattle’s Kryptonite the past couple of years despite their struggles against most everyone else.

[dead_poet]

How does cold weather impact NFL teams? Here's a quick look

http://www.startribune.com/how-does-col ... 364384051/

Quarterbacks in those 10 games combined to complete just 51 percent of their passes, while the teams combined for a total of 50 turnovers — five per game, 2.5 per team. In the five coldest games, all of them playoff games, the completion percentage for quarterbacks dropped to 48.7.

*In the five coldest games, again all of them in the playoffs, the average total points scored by both teams combined was 30.4, and four of the five games were decided by four points or less: 20-17 Giants over Green Bay in the NFC title game after the 2007 season, 14-12 Raiders over Browns in 1981, 10-7 Colts over Chiefs in 1996 and 21-17 Packers over the Raiders in the famed Ice Bowl of 1967.

*In the two coldest games at TCF Bank Stadium, which also both qualify among the 10 coldest home games in Vikings history, the Vikings defeated Carolina 31-13 in 2014 (game-time temperature 12 degrees) and beat the Giants 49-17 two weeks ago (game-time temperature 13 degrees).

Teddy Bridgewater was a combined 30-for-46 (65.2 percent) with three TDs and no interceptions in those games (all of which came while throwing right-handed). Opposing QBs Cam Newton and Eli Manning were a combined 33 for 64 with a TD and four INTs. The Vikings scored twice on blocked punts against Carolina and once on a pick-six against the Giants.

Conclusion: The Vikings’ sample size is far too small with too many variables to read too much into it, but the larger sample of cold-weather games suggests what one might suspect: it very well could be a challenge to throw the ball and to score points on Sunday.

Considering Seattle’s recent potent passing attack, the weather could then provide some measure of an edge to the Vikings. Strangely enough, in this specific matchup and instance, Minnesota should be glad it is playing in its temporary outdoor home instead of its soon-to-open indoor palace.

[Texas Vike]

How does cold weather impact NFL teams? Here's a quick look

http://www.startribune.com/how-does-col ... 364384051/

Awesome! I'd feel a heck of a lot better if we had an OL that was known for mauling opponents, cause I think it's going to be that kind of a game... but I do like the fact that the weather may limit Seattle's passing attack.