The Minnesota Vikings visit the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football on TSN.

Scoring is up across the league, and this game has the highest total on the board for his week.

Minnesota enters this contest fresh off its first win of the season, while Seattle has yet to taste defeat.

 

Russell Wilson is playing out of his mind at the moment, tying the NFL record for most touchdown passes (16) through four games. Russ is set up for success again on Sunday, versus a Vikings defence that has been picked on all season.

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks

Line: Seahawks -7

Total: 56.5

Chef Russ is in the Building

The Seahawks promised us they were going to let Russ cook in 2020, and they held true to their word. Seattle is passing on 59.2 per cent of its offensive snaps, which is an increase of 5 per cent over last year.

Wilson has excelled with more volume, clearing 300 yards in three of four games, while leading the league in touchdowns, completion percentage and quarterback rating.

He’s been especially lethal in a clean pocket this season, throwing a league-high 12 touchdown passes. That spells trouble for the Vikings, which have deal with pass rush and coverage woes that have been a big reason behind their 1-3 start.

Minnesota boasts a bottom-three pass rush grade and a bottom-12 coverage grade at Pro Football Focus, and has surrendered a league-worst 13 completions that have travelled at least 20 yards in the air.

I know what you’re thinking.

That sounds like something Wilson should be able to exploit.

Of course you would be right as no one throws a better deep ball than Russ, and both Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf are proficient at hauling in long targets.

Not only do the Vikings struggle defending the pass, but their run defence ranks bottom-nine in rush yards allowed per game. Minnesota is surrendering 134.8 yards on the ground per contest, and have already given up four touchdowns to enemy backs.

The Legion of Gloom

On the other side of the ball, Seattle’s once feared defence is a shell of its former self. The Seahawks rank 31st in sack rate, 22nd in QB hit rate and have allowed a league-worst 476.8 total yards per outing.

Seattle will once again be without stud safety Jamal Adams, which is a big hit to a secondary that’s allowed the most pass yards in NFL history through four games.

The projected soft matchup must be music to Kirk Cousins’ ears, who’s actually performed quite well this season when not under duress.
Cousins’ passing grade in a clean pocket is 27.3 points higher than when under pressure, and his yards per attempt is a full two yards higher without heat in his face.

The emergence of rookie Justin Jefferson has added a new dimension to Minnesota’s aerial attack, while Adam Thielen has racked up the second most touchdowns (4) among wide receivers.

Seven opposing wideouts have crossed the 100-yard mark versus Seattle this season, which bodes well for both Jefferson and Thielen.

The Vikings also feature the league’s third-highest graded running back in Dalvin Cook, who’s fresh off 146 total yards and a touchdown in Week 4 against Houston.

Take the Points

Minnesota clearly has the offensive firepower to keep pace with Seattle in this matchup, and this game could very well come down a last score wins scenario.

Both defences are full of holes at every level, and the Seahawks traditional home field advantage is neutralized without the presence of the rabid 12’s.

All three of the Vikings losses have come versus teams ranked in the top-14 in DVOA, and their 1-3 record is not indicative of their true talent.

Remember, prior to the season most experts picked Minnesota to win the NFC North.

While a few key injuries on defence appears to have derailed that possibility, this is still a very talented team and one that is a bargain catching 7-points against Seattle.

Pick: Vikings +7

Upon Further Review

Justin Jefferson has established himself at the 1b to Adam Thielen’s 1a over the past few weeks, leading the Vikings with 175 receiving yards in Week 3, and 103 receiving yards in Week 4.

He’s hauled in 11 of his 14 targets over that span, and should see an uptick in volume this week as part of an offence that is a touchdown underdog.

Still, the over/under for Jefferson’s player prop is just 67.5 receiving yards, which means he’s still flying under the radar a little bit.

The Seahawks have already allowed seven enemy wideout to clear 100-yards this season, and eight of Jefferson’s 16 catches in 2020 have gone for 20 or more yards.

That big play ability combined with his projected volume should translate into Jefferson delivering a better performance than the oddsmakers expect.