Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks Preview
Two teams that are in top notch form will clash in the NFL’s Wild Card playoff round, with a trip to the league’s quarterfinal round awaiting the winner. The Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks are those two teams that are playing excellent football, as they square off in frigid Minnesota. Will Minnesota’s home field advantage be too much to overcome, or will it be the Seahawks who make the most of their opportunity?
Minnesota Vikings On Form
For the Minnesota Vikings, the season didn’t get off to a great start, but they have turned things around and then some in the recent weeks. Playing in back to back prime time games on Sunday nights, the Vikings finished the season with a flourish by destroying the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers thanks largely to the work of their defense.
In those back to back weeks, the Vikings locked down Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, holding Eli Manning of the New York Giants in check, followed by Green Bay Packers superstar Aaron Rodgers. Now they find themselves as underdogs at home against a Seattle Seahawks team that has had repeated success on the NFL’s biggest stages, as they have qualified for two consecutive Super Bowls.
Seattle Seahawks Getting Healthy
When it comes to the Seattle Seahawks, there was a period of time where many experts thought that they wouldn’t even make the playoffs after blowing a couple of fourth quarter leads. But they have found a way to not only turn things around, but look like one of the most dominant teams in the NFL in the weeks leading up to the playoffs.
Seattle really made their presence known at the end of the regular season with a blowout victory over the Arizona Cardinals, who were favored to beat Seattle at home in that game. The Seahawks didn’t give Arizona a chance to beat them for a second time this season, and also denied the Cardinals a chance for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with that victory.
More important than that individual result, though, is the improvement in health that the Seattle Seahawks are experiencing heading into this game, as running back Marshawn Lynch looks like he will finally return to the field for this important playoff game. Lynch missed the vast majority of this season with a number of injuries and, while the Seahawks’ running game was still very effective with their backups on the field, Lynch’s value cannot be overstated for a Seahawks team that needs to be effective running the ball to set up their passing game.
The Seattle Seahawks are favorites heading into this Wild Card playoff matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, and have their most important offensive player back and healthy for the game. However, Minnesota’s defense has stifled Super Bowl champions in the weeks leading up to the playoffs, and their offense has plenty of talent of its own. It would be foolish to rule the Vikings out of this game, which could be one of the best in the NFL this season.
By: Jason M. Sanin