Week 13: Seattle Seahawks (6-5) @ Minnesota Vikings (8-3)

[jWILL253]

So, the spread for this game is 0.1 points. No exaggeration. Literally 1% of a single point. Can't get any closer than that.

The Vikes have been the most surprising team in the NFC, coming out of nowhere to overtake the collapsing Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. Teddy Bridgewater is good, Adrian Peterson is one of the GOATS, and they have a strong defensive unit, if a bit inconsistent at times.

But, while I respect the kind of football the Vikes are playing, every day this week is Russell Wilson Day:

Quote: Originally Posted by Sheil Kapadia, ESPN Writer

83.3 -- That's Wilson's completion percentage on throws inside the pocket the last two weeks. He's gone 40-of-48 for 554 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. The numbers suggest Wilson has made great strides as a pocket passer, and the coaches have been saying as much. The problem is he hasn't always had time, and because of the protection issues early in the season, Wilson sometimes bails early. But right now, he looks as comfortable as ever. On the season, Wilson is completing 71.4 percent of his attempts when staying in the pocket. That's the top mark in the NFL. And Wilson's 109.3 passer rating on throws inside the pocket is second to only Cincinnati's Andy Dalton. 4.3 -- That's the Seahawks' sack rate since Week 8, 10th-best in the NFL. In the first seven weeks, Seattle ranked dead last (11.7 percent). Pete Carroll has said he knew developing the offensive line would take time, but he also admitted that the team probably made a mistake in waiting so long before going to Patrick Lewis at center in place of Drew Nowak. In the four games Lewis has started, the Seahawks' sack rate is 6.8 percent. In the other seven games, it's been 10.5 percent. Sacks don't always tell the whole story, but clearly the protection has been better with Lewis at center. 2.14 -- The number of seconds, on average, Wilson took before getting rid of the football Sunday against the Steelers. That was fourth-fastest among quarterbacks in Week 12. It was also Wilson's fastest time in a single game this season. There are really three aspects to the Seahawks' passing attack. One is the rhythm passing game where Wilson operates from the pocket and gets rid of the football quickly. The second is designed plays that get him out of the pocket on bootlegs and such. The third is improvisation when Wilson goes outside the structure of the play. The first aspect is where Wilson has had the most room to grow. In the first 11 weeks, he took 2.72 seconds to get rid of the ball, which ranked 30th. If the protection holds up, the Seahawks would like Sunday to be the start of a trend, not just an outlier. 158.3 -- Wilson's passer rating (perfect) against the blitz the past two weeks. He's gone 18-for-23 (78.3 percent) for 308 yards (13.39 YPA), five touchdowns and no interceptions against five or more rushers. Through the first 10 weeks, Wilson was a disaster against the blitz, posting a passer rating of 66.9 (30th). All of these things are tied together. When the protection is good, he has more time to hang in the pocket. When Wilson gets rid of the ball quickly, it makes life easier for the offensive linemen. And when the Seahawks are obliterating the blitz, it makes them that much tougher to defend. 1 -- The number of quarterbacks in NFL history who have a career passer rating better than Wilson's (99.5). It's Aaron Rodgers (105.1) and Wilson in the top two spots. If the season ended today, he'd set career marks in completion percentage (67.7), YPA (8.38) and passer rating (102.9). And Wilson just turned 27 years old on Sunday. Ultimately, his 2015 season will probably be judged by what he does in the final five games and the playoffs (if the Seahawks get in). Maybe Wilson will have a rough go, and the losses of Graham and Lynch will catch up to the Seahawks. But the last two weeks have served as a good reminder that he is still a relatively young quarterback who has the ability to develop. A month or two from now, it's possible that the discussion of what his ceiling could be and what type of quarterback he is could be different than it is currently.

Flabby and sick opposing defenses aside - Wilson has, all of a sudden, went to having the worst season of his career playing behind a line with ZERO pass pro ability, to being on his way to having his best season as a pocket passer. The offensive line has made great strides since the game against the Cowboys, especially with the change at center (NOTE: Drew Norwak - the starting center through 8 games this season - has not only been demoted for Patrick Lewis, but has been outright cut, clearing waivers on the way to free agency. Tom Cable gonna hold that L for a while).

The defense has some issues in the secondary. The outside cornerback spots have been playing well. DeShawn Shead had a couple down moments, but was able to make plays on the ball against the Steelers (something Cary Williams can't do). And Richard Sherman, GOODNESS. Shutting down Antonio Brown like that... one of the biggest criticisms against Sherm was the fact that he mainly stayed to one side of the field. Welp, this season he's been asked to shadow #1 receiving options, and outside of all his dropped picks, he's been having a great season. The linebackers are also playing as expected, with KJ Wright of all people having the best season.

The major weaknesses are the safeties. Earl Thomas is the best safety in the league, but too often in these losses, he's found himself out of position and missing tackles too many times to count. And don't even get me started on Kam Chancellor. He's playing like he's still in training camp - that futile holdout has been detrimental, for sure.

I can't call a score to this game. Too close. I just hope that we can continue this upward trend on the road.

[thaima1shu]

Fully expecting this to be a low scoring, ugly game. So naturally it should end in a shootout.

Don't see Russell putting up anywhere near the numbers he has the last two weeks. Curious to see how the defense handles AD. He's gashed them pretty good before.

[Candyman5]

As usual, if Vikings control clock and run well then Vikes win. If Seattle stops the run and get a lead that allows thier pass rush to ignore Adrian against our Oline that cant block then its a blowout win by Seattle.

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[bukktown]

As a Vikes fan, Russell Wilson scares me in this game.

[neifro]

Pittsburgh secondary sure made a decent Wilson look great last week. Don't see that happening this week at all.

[roadman]

Go Seahawks!!!! (Did i just say that?)

[jeremym480]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

Go Seahawks!!!! (Did i just say that?)

Go Seahawks!

Spoiler

Unfortunately, they're the lesser of the two evils at this point.

[PeoplesChampGB]

Im actually rooting for the Vikings, just because we can still take them in Week 17 and win the division. We ultimately control our own destiny. I also think the Seahawks are a different team than when we played them and they make me nervous. I'd rather have them out as quickly as possible.