Vikings Message Board.Com

Good morning and Skol!!



-------------------------------------------------------

If the season ended today, the Seahawks would travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in the NFC Wild Card round.

Sunday's matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings is shaping up to be a postseason preview. Just like everybody thought, right?

OK, maybe not. But if the playoffs started today, Seattle would travel to Minnesota for a wild card matchup. Given how well the NFC North-leading Vikings have played this season, that's far from an easy task.

One of the keys to this contest will be which team can control the game on the ground. The Vikings and Seahawks are first and second in the league in rushing yards per contest, respectively, though Seattle's run defense is better. The Seahawks are fifth in the league against the run, whereas the Vikings are 20th.

After spending the bulk of 2014 on the commissioner's exempt list, Adrian Peterson is once again the best running back in football. He leads the league in rushing yards and has scored eight touchdowns as well.

With hernia surgery expected to keep Marshawn Lynch sidelined for at least one month, Thomas Rawls has emerged as the Seahawks' leading back. The undrafted rookie is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and is just two weeks removed from a 209-yard, three-touchdown performance against the San Francisco 49ers.

In a lot of respects, the Seahawks and Vikings are rough equivalents of each other, as they both have strong running games and pulverizing defenses. But the biggest differences between the two clubs is at the quarterback position, and that could wind up being what decides this game.

Teddy Bridgewater is still going through some learning curves in his second season and is coming off a lousy performance against the Atlanta Falcons (174 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception). Russell Wilson, meanwhile, threw a season-high five touchdowns in the Seahawks' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday. But the win didn't come without bad news: tight end Jimmy Graham tore his patellar tendon and will miss the rest of the year.

But given how Graham has struggled to mesh with Wilson this season, his absence may not have as large of an impact on Seattle's offense as one would expect. He's only caught two touchdown passes in 11 games. All five of Wilson's touchdown passes last week were thrown to Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse.

The experts are divided on what promises to be a tight game. CBS Sports' eight analysts are split right down the middle, while five of our eight experts at SB Nation expect the Seahawks to prevail.(SBnation)

------------------------------------------------------

Prediction: Vikings 26, Seahawks 24

Should be a fun and interesting game. I think special teams will play a big role.

If we somehow can hold their back to 80 yards or less, we have a good shot to win. Of course almost no one is picking us and with our up and down performance this year, I can't say I blame them. I'm not sure the heavy formations will be as effective against the Seahawks as it was against the Falcons. I think Norv will have to use some play action out of those formations to catch them in run blitzes. I'm hoping to see some throws on 1st down. And, at least 3 deep shots to Wallace. He has to catch a couple this year...right?

Going to be another close one. I don't see them scoring 28 points. 14 to 13 we win at home.

Didn't know the FOX team is here on Oahu today.

Listening to them talk about the attack, it makes me want to take my family to see the Arizona Memorial, something I have yet to do. I've lived here my entire life. The Memorial is only 10 minutes away and it's sad that the only time I've been on the memorial was when I tagged along with my older brothers boy scout troop. I was probably 6 or 7 years old at the time. I have been on the USS Missouri a couple of times though.

LJ out hurts bad in this one. Gonna come down to QB play IMO and Teddy is not at Wilson's level. Yet anyway. Gonna be very tough to win this one.

purplehaze wrote:LJ out hurts bad in this one. Gonna come down to QB play IMO and Teddy is not at Wilson's level. Yet anyway. Gonna be very tough to win this one.

I agree. either going to have to have a DOMINANT running game today or throw it 40 times and find some way to protect Teddy.

dkoby wrote:If we somehow can hold their back to 80 yards or less, we have a good shot to win. Of course almost no one is picking us and with our up and down performance this year, I can't say I blame them. I'm not sure the heavy formations will be as effective against the Seahawks as it was against the Falcons. I think Norv will have to use some play action out of those formations to catch them in run blitzes. I'm hoping to see some throws on 1st down. And, at least 3 deep shots to Wallace. He has to catch a couple this year...right?

Going to be another close one. I don't see them scoring 28 points. 14 to 13 we win at home.

On the NFL Network pregame show, they said 63% of the fans are picking the Vikings so I wouldn't say that is 'almost no one'. But I'm guessing a lot of fans (other than Seahawk fans) are picking the Vikings because of the dislike for Pete Carroll.

bah forget it... be sheep

was that kick in the wind?

808vikingsfan wrote:Didn't know the FOX team is here on Oahu today.

Listening to them talk about the attack, it makes me want to take my family to see the Arizona Memorial, something I have yet to do. I've lived here my entire life. The Memorial is only 10 minutes away and it's sad that the only time I've been on the memorial was when I tagged along with my older brothers boy scout troop. I was probably 6 or 7 years old at the time. I have been on the USS Missouri a couple of times though.

Opposite for me, been to the memorial a few times but not the Missouri.

Sweet kick.

Bad start on special teams. Good first play on defense.

Almost impossible to sack Wilson.

The D better stay at home on the bootlegs.

That's a fumble

How can the refs miss that?????? He was right there!!

Great start refs!!