A couple of franchises with very different offensive schemes, the Minnesota Vikings (+4) will be facing off against the Seattle Seahawks (-4) at CenturyLink Field. ESPN will broadcast the action and the crucial Monday Night Football matchup kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Thursday Night FootballBetting Preview: Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings
In what may be a NFC postseason preview, Seattle is tabbed as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 4 points. The Vikings are also receiving +140 moneyline odds while the Seahawks are -160. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 46 points, and if one team can get out in front early on, it will likely lead to a nice betting opportunity in-game.
With the game’s over/under originally placed at 45, the the early action has apparently leaned toward the over.
Both of these teams have rewarded gamblers this season as the Vikings have recorded 2.4 units and the Seahawks are up 2.5 units.
The Vikings have gone 6-5-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Seahawks are 7-5 SU.
The Vikes look to get back in stride after a 24-10 defeat to New England in Week 13. The Vikes defense allowed the Patriots to pass for 311 yards while rushing for 160 yards and two scores. On the offensive side of the ball, Kirk Cousins completed 32 passes on 44 attempts for 201 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Dalvin Cook (84 rushing yards on nine attempts) led the ground attack while Cook (eight receptions, 22 yards) and Stefon Diggs (five catches, 49 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Seattle enters this one after just earning a 43-16 win over San Francisco in Week 13. Russell Wilson completed 11-of-17 passes for 185 yards and four touchdowns. Chris Carson (69 yards on 13 rush attempts) and Rashaad Penny (65 yards on seven carries, one TD) spearheaded the running game while Jaron Brown (three receptions, 67 yards, two TDs) and Carson (three catches, 39 yards) led the receiving corps in the win.
Minnesota has run the ball on 34.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Seattle has an overall rush percentage of 53.8 percent. The Vikings have run for 86.1 yards per game and have six touchdowns on the ground this year. The Seahawks are putting up 148.8 rushing yards per game and have nine total rush TDs.
It seems like the Vikings should own an advantage when it comes to quarterback protection, as their offensive line has given up only 27 sacks while the D-line registered 37 sacks. The Seahawks offensive line has given up 43 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 39 times.
The Vikes offense has averaged 290.8 yards through the air overall and has 23 passing scores so far. The Seahawks have put up 226.3 pass yards per contest and have 29 total pass TDs.
Minnesota should hold an edge in both areas of the defense. The team’s allowed opponents to rush for an average of 99.2 yards and pass for 249.8 yards per game. The Seattle D has allowed 266.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 116.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Vikes are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.98 to opponents, while the Seahawks have given up a 6.50 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Cousins has amassed 3,148 yards on the year, and has connected on 71 percent of his 453 attempts with 20 scores through the air and nine interceptions. Cousins has a 6.17 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.79 over the last two games.
In the other locker room, Russell Wilson has completed 195-of-295 passes for 2,377 yards, 27 TDs and five INTs. Wilson’s ANY/A sits at 7.41 for the season and 11.42 over his past two games.
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks Free Betting Pick
SU Winner: Seahawks, ATS Winner: Vikings, O/U: Over
Betting Notes
- The Minnesota defense has 36 sacks on the year while Seattle has 31.
- The Seattle offense has lost four fumbles in 2018 while Minnesota has let nine get away.
- The Vikings offense has produced three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Seahawks have accounted for 12 such plays.
- The Minnesota defense has allowed nine pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Seattle has given up six such plays.
- Both teams have produced 10 rushing plays of 20 yards or more. The Minnesota offense has recorded 23 running plays of 10+ yards while Seattle has accounted for 52 such plays.
- The Vikings defense has allowed two rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Seahawks have given up 10 such runs.
- The O/U for Seattle’s last game was set at 45. The over cashed in the 43-16 victory over San Francisco.
- In its last three matchups, Seattle is 2-0-1 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- Over its last three contests, Minnesota is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Minnesota’s last game was set at 50.5. The under cashed in the team’s 24-10 loss to New England.
- Minnesota has averaged 3.7 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.4 over its last two.
- Seattle has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 4.3 over its last two.
