The Vikings ended Green Bay's run of NFC North titles at four with a victory over the Packers on Sunday. By winning the division, Minnesota locked up a first-round home game, but was a date with the Seahawks really worth the trouble? Seattle already ripped the Vikings in Minnesota 38-7 earlier this season and went 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in its last five road games.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Minnesota Vikings +5
Seattle Seahawks -5
Over/Under 42.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
The total dropped to 41 and that has point-loving football bettors hitting the over pretty hard. The Vikings aren't the same team they were a month ago and the Seahawks have been crushing it lately. Things tend to tighten up a bit come playoff time, but 41 is a manageable total. The line was wagered to Seattle -5.5, the highest spread on the board for Wild Card weekend.
KEY INJURIES
Jeremy Lane - Sustained an injury to his ribs Sunday in Arizona and is listed as day-to-day. Deshawn Shead could move into the starting cornerback spot if Lane can't go.
Kam Chancellor - Missed the last two games with a bruised tailbone and is listed as questionable for the playoff opener. Kelcie McCray has started at strong safety in his place.
Rhett Ellison - The Vikings' tight end is done for the year with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. A key run blocker and a reliable receiver on the limited occasions he's been targeted, he also lined up at fullback as a versatile piece of the offense. Kyle Rudolph is the primary tight end, but the Vikings frequently use multiple tight end sets. MyCole Pruitt will have an increased role.
KEY MISMATCH
Special teams play a huge role in the playoffs when each team is faced with a one-and-done scenario. And Seattle has a decided edge in the return game with rookie Tyler Lockett, who set a Seahawks single-game record with 139 punt return yards on four returns Sunday against Arizona. Lockett had a productive first season as a receiver with 64 catches for 628 yards and six touchdowns. But his biggest contributions came in the return game, running back both a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns this season. For the year, Lockett averaged 25.8 yards on 33 kickoff returns and 9.5 yards on 40 punt returns. His electrifying run backs often flipped the field, putting the Seahawks in prime field position. That was the case against the Cardinals with Seattle's average starting position being their own 47-yard line after returns, turnovers and kickoffs.
KEY STAT
17.3 - Seattle's points per game allowed. The Seahawks' top ranked scoring defense faces Minnesota's offense which ranks 16th in the NFL with 22.8 points per game.
BETTING ANGLE
The Vikings finished with an 11-5 or better record for just the sixth time in 38 years since the NFL schedule expanded to 16 games. In each of the last three such seasons, they reached the NFC Championship game. Minnesota lost to just one team that didn't make the playoffs, a dud of an opener at San Francisco. They'll take their share of flaws into the playoffs, but they've also been as consistent as any team in the NFL. Seattle closed the season with six wins in seven games going 6-1 ATS, and the blowout of the Cardinals answered all the questions that were raised when the Seahawks stumbled in a home loss a week prior. They built a 30-6 halftime lead and were able to pull most of their starters for the fourth quarter. And just in time for the playoffs, the Seahawks will add Marshawn Lynch to an offense that averaged 32 points and 413 total yards over the final seven weeks of the regular season, including a 38-7 blowout at Minnesota in early December.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
For the first time in three seasons the Seahawks will not be hosting a playoff game and will have to make their run to another Super Bowl appearance by winning on the road, including a Wild Card game. But this may be the best Seattle team of the bunch after closing the regular season on a ferocious run that included six wins in seven games while scoring at least 30 points in six of the final eight. The antics of Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin have made the Seahawks a dangerous offensive club, overshadowing what the defense has been able to do. Quietly the D ranks first in rushing yards and points allowed, and second in passing and total yards. Seattle is built for this time of year, a seasoned playoff team that would like nothing better to get a chance at redeeming the victory that slipped away in last year's Super Bowl. And, there's a good chance Lynch will be back in the lineup, giving Minnesota's defense another thing to worry about.
Seattle 27, Minnesota 23
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