A September matchup with potential playoff implications is among the late games on the NFL betting board in Week 3, as the 1-1 Seattle Seahawks travel to face the Minnesota Vikings.
Despite a second half collapse at home in Week 2, Seattle will head to Minnesota as slight 2-point favorites against a Vikings team feeling hard done by at 0-2.
How will the latest installment in this simmering NFC rivalry play out? Keep reading for our free Seahawks vs. Vikings picks and predictions, with kickoff on September 26.
Seahawks vs Vikings odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
After opening at Seahawks -1.5, action on this contest pushed Seattle to 2-point favorites with the road Seahawks still receiving the majority of bets. Early action on the Over pushed the total up from 55 to 55.5 as of Tuesday evening. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full NFL odds before placing your bets.
Seahawks vs Vikings picks
Picks made on 9/21/2021 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Seahawks vs Vikings game info
• Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
• Date: Sunday, September 26, 2021
• Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX
Seahawks at Vikings betting preview
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NFL weather info.
Key injuries
Seahawks: Dee Eskridge WR (Out), Jake Luton QB (Out), Brandon Shell RT (Out), Tre Brown CB (Out), Benson Mayowa LB (Out), Marquise Blair S (Out), L.J. Collier DE (Out), Rashaad Penny RB (Out).
Vikings: Dalvin Cook RB (Out), Anthony Barr LB (Out), Christian Darrisaw T (Out).
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Seahawks are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings with the Vikings. Find more NFL betting trends for Seahawks vs. Vikings.
Seahawks vs Vikings predictions
Seahawks -2 (-110)
Through two quarters in Week 2, the Seahawks were cruising along and well on their way to 2-0 marks SU and ATS. Then, they did what they have done for years now and inexplicably made it much harder on themselves. Between that and the Titans' demigod in the backfield, Seattle allowed a 24-9 lead slip away in an eventual 33-30 overtime loss to underdog Tennessee.
The manner in which the Seahawks lost does make it look like their defense crumbled but the play-by-play performance was not as bad as the final product. Without Derrick Henry's 60-yard touchdown run — a product of an overzealous run fit by Jamal Adams — and Julio Jones' 51-yard catch, the Titans averaged a mediocre 5.2 yards per play. And, even that was hard-earned, with Henry creating 160 of Tennessee's yards after contact. Sometimes, a defense just gets its ass kicked by one of the rarest physical freaks the league has ever seen.
The offensive display was much more concerning, however, with Wilson completely ignoring the middle of the field after a positive day attacking that area in Week 1. Wilson's showing vs. the Titans had all the hallmarks of a bad Wilson performance: skittishness in the pocket, tunnel vision in his progressions, and a refusal to take check downs available.
Minnesota, meanwhile, enjoyed a great game on offense in Week 2 but suffered through yet another kicker collapse, with Greg Joseph missing a 37-yard field goal to win (after missing an extra point earlier). The Vikes continue to get strong individual performances on defense, with Danielle Hunter not missing a beat after a year out and Patrick Peterson turning back the clock in the secondary, but as a unit, there has been a ton of miscommunication.
Both the Seahawks and Vikings are difficult to peg through two games but the knowledge we do have is helpful. The Vikings are 0-7 against Wilson's Seahawks and 2-5 ATS, including three losses in the last three seasons, with Seattle's margin of victory in those games just a shade under 12. Both of these teams are flawed but Wilson has rarely had trouble against Mike Zimmer's defense.
In a matchup with a lot of uncertainty, we are certain about the scheme Zimmer is going to rely on, and the way in which Wilson can exploit it. Take the favored Seahawks to cover.
Over 55.5 (-110)
Much to the chagrin of defensive head coaches Pete Carroll and Mike Zimmer, this matchup has featured a ton of points in recent years (53 in 2020, 67 in 2019) as their defenses have faded behind explosive offenses. It's difficult to imagine that changing in the immediate future, either.
Minnesota's defense remains an absolute mess with a penchant for allowing explosive plays while Seattle rolls out replacement-level players at exploitable positions. Both offenses, on the other hand, boast elite 1-2 punches at wide receiver, dynamic talents in the backfield, and quarterbacks who love to take deep shots.
After allowing 3.9 explosive passes (completions of 20+ yards) per game last season, a mark which was tied for the second-most in the NFL, Minnesota is allowing an average of 4.0 per game through two weeks. The Cards gained an eye-popping 7.9 yards per play against the Vikings' defense on Sunday, with Kyler Murray regularly extending plays and beating them with his arm out of structure. Wilson will be able to exploit a secondary yet to mesh in 2021 and capitalize on deep shots, while also punishing Minnesota's defense out of structure.
The same can be said for Kirk Cousins against a Seahawks defense that performed excellently in Week 1 before they were beaten into the ground by Henry and the Titans' offense in Week 2. Seattle is able to depend on a strong safety tandem on the backend but its weakness at corner has led to the deep safety, Quandre Diggs, shading to one side and allowing the seam and post to be hit a few times already this year. Against a Vikings trio of Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn, safety help will be even harder to come by for corners who have been beaten time and time again in 1-on-1s this year.
Seattle's played to totals of 44 and 63 and Minnesota has played to totals of 51 and 67, but neither team will get the benefit of the timid offenses they faced in Week 1 in the Bengals and Colts. It's a lofty total but with both offenses well equipped to exploit concerns in the secondary, this one has the makings of a shootout in the confines of Minnesota's stadium.
DK Metcalf Over 76.5 receiving yards (-115)
As a result of Seattle and Minnesota's nearly annual meeting over the last several years, third-year receiver DK Metcalf has faced the Vikes in each of his two seasons.
As a rookie, toward the end of the season, as Metcalf was stringing together consistent performances, he posted six catches for 75 yards in primetime against Minnesota. In the same matchup the following season, Metcalf put on possibly his most grown-man performance yet, finishing with six catches for 93 yards and two scores, including the game-winner, as well as a 39-yard jump ball to keep Seattle's game-winning drive alive on 4th and 10.
Year 3 will see Metcalf face a Vikings defense struggling to create pressure up front or stick in coverage, as well as allowing receivers to get in behind for big plays in successive weeks. The ascending superstar has been relatively quiet to begin the year but he'll have his typical success against Minnesota, and top this total with ease.
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