The Vikings are my favorite play
of the weekend.
1) Revenge - Seattle beat the Vikings earlier this year 38-7 but we
all know Minnesota was missing 3 of their best defensive players who will be
playing in this game.
2) Mike Zimmer – One of the top defensive minds in the game will
surely have a better gameplan against Seattle in the rematch. This time with a
healthy defense and gamefilm from the previous matchup.
3) Mike Zimmer is 14-5 ATS in
revenge games and 8-1 ATS as an
underdog in revenge games over his last 9. A top defensive coach will have a
solid gameplan for Seattle’s offense the second time around.
4) Weather - Weird stuff always happens in cold weather in the
playoffs. This game will be the coldest game in Minnesota’s history. Vikings
record in the last 4 games under 25 degrees is 4-0.
5) Early start time – Russell Wilson and the Seahawks are 4-9 SU and 4-9 ATS since 2012 in early starts on the road.
6) Early start time – The Vikings
are 16-9 SU and 19-6 ATS past 2 seasons in early start times as opposed to 2-5 SU in afternoon/evening games.
7) History – In the past 20 years, no Superbowl loser has returned to
the Superbowl the following year. In the past 45 years, no Superbowl loser has
won the Superbowl the following year. The Seahawks might win this game, but
people expecting them to steamroll their opponents on the road are going
against years of history.
8) Season Wins – The Seahawks won 10 games this year. These wins
include: 49ers twice, Jimmy Clausen-led Ravens, Jimmy Clausen-led Bears, Johnny
Manziel-led Browns, 3 point victory over the Lions after a controversial call,
and a 1 point victory over Matt Cassel-led Cowboys. Their only marquee wins
came against the Steelers, Vikings, and Cardinals. In those games, the Steelers
had 100 more yards and 5 more first downs on the road and the Vikings were
missing many key players as noted earlier. The Cardinals was a very impressive victory, although in
week 17 motivation levels are always questionable. The Vikings have several bottom-feeder wins this year as well, but they aren’t the team laying 6 on the
road.
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