What the Vikings Can Expect from the Seahawks

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images. The talk is no longer just about the playoffs; the Vikings are hunting for the number one seed in the NFC and the prize of a bye in the wild-card round. To achieve that, the Vikings have to win out, starting with a trip to Seattle. Let’s look at what the Vikings can expect from the Seahawks in Week 16. What the Vikings Can Expect from the Seahawks It is yet another week that the Vikings play an opponent they could face in the playoffs. The Seattle Seahawks are in second place in the NFC West division with the same record as the LA Rams, but the California team holds the tiebreaker with a victory in their meeting earlier in the season. Seattle travels to LA for the final game of the regular season. The Seahawks need to keep winning to keep their playoff aspirations alive, so the Vikings should expect the Seattle team to give it everything on Sunday. Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports. The Seahawks have already lost at Detroit and at home to Green Bay this season. The Vikings must follow their division counterparts to stay in the hunt for the number one seed in the NFC. Minnesota has wins at home to San Francisco and Arizona this season but lost on the road to the LA Rams, coming into this game with a 2-1 record over the NFC West. Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks After 14 seasons of Pete Carroll, which brought Seattle its first and, so far, only Super Bowl win, the Seahawks moved to a new era, bringing in Mike Macdonald as their head coach. A first-time HC, Macdonald arrived after two seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator. With 11 winning seasons out of the last 12, Seattle is expected always to be competitive, and Macdonald has achieved that, guiding them to an 8-6 record so far. Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports The Seahawks were dealt a scare last week when quarterback Geno Smith was forced out of the game with a knee injury. The deputizing Sam Howell struggled, and the Packers wound up comfortable winners. Smith was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and looks to have escaped a significant injury. He expects to play on Sunday, which is good news for Seattle. Howell would not have been able to cope with Brian Flores’ defense. The Seahawks are a solid, if not spectacular, team that will give the Vikings a tough game. Though they have injury issues at RB, they run the ball well and have a trio of very capable WRs in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxson Smith-Njigba. They have a good, well-coached defense that the Vikings offense must be at their best to overcome. Vikings/Seahawks History Sunday will mark the 20th meeting between Minnesota and Seattle. Sunday’s hosts have mostly dominated the fixture, leading the series 13-6. The Vikings won the last meeting in 2021 at U.S. Bank Stadium, endU.S.g a run of seven straight Seahawks wins. The last time Minnesota won a game in Seattle was in 2006. The only other time the Vikings won in Seattle was in 1990 when they held a 2-9 record on the road. Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY SpU.S. Despite that history, the Vikings enter Week 16 as 3.5-point favorites over the Seahawks, with most expecting them to win. Kevin O’Connell’s team continues to prove they do not care about the demons of Minnesota’s past as they go on a hunt for their 13th win of the season.