The Seahawks look to continue their playoff surge next Monday against the Vikings. They’ll have to contain two of the league’s best wide receivers to do it.
When the Seattle Seahawks line up across from the Minnesota Vikings next Monday night, there will be a lot on the line. Right now the Hawks are seeded as the first wild card team. A win over Minnesota would be a nice boost toward their goal, but the Vikings have two very dangerous weapons trained on the Seahawks defense.
Seattle has zero chance of taking the division, but they could certainly fall out of the playoff hunt with a few losses. If you think they have a lot of easy wins left, see the Cowboys-Saints or Giants- Bears scores from last week. Both the 49ers and Cardinals are bad teams, but they’d love to play the spoiler role against the Seahawks. This game is as critical as any, especially considering Seattle has to face Kansas City in week 16.
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Those Vikings weapons I mentioned are wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Both are targeted over 10 times per game, and both are ranked in the top 20 by Pro Football Focus, Thielen actually fourth. Thielen has nine touchdowns on the season and averages 97 yards receiving per game. Diggs is no slouch as he has six scores himself, and averages 76 yards per game. They rank first and sixth in the league in catches. You might say they’re pretty active.
Of course, the ball isn’t just dropping out of thin air. Kirk Cousins is having one of his best years, and his 350 completions lead the NFL. Despite having Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray in the backfield, the Vikings run the ball less than almost every other team. Their 253 carries rank 29th in the league.
Compare that to Seattle’s league leading 380 running plays. What it all means is you can expect the Seahawks will see the ball in the air a lot. Both Tre Flowers and Justin Coleman can expect to see a lot of Thielen, as he’s lined up in the slot nearly 48 percent of the time.
That’s not the best news Seattle could get, as the Seahawks pass defense is slipping. In the first eight games of the season, Seattle allowed 218 net yards passing, on average. In their last four games they’ve given up an average of 315 net yards through the air. Yes, they faced Goff, Rodgers, and Newton, but Nick Mullens doesn’t really fit that group. The Seahawks better get pressure on Cousins, or it could be a very long day for the secondary.