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Last week was a good one for the Minnesota Vikings. Not only did they have a bye with a chance to recharge for the final stretch, they also moved into a first place tie with Green Bay in the NFC North when the Packers were humbled by the 49ers. A matchup of conference elites figures to be a close one with the Seattle Seahawks hitting the board as a 2.5-point home favorite. Seattle has won five in a row in the series and Monday night’s winner will have the head-to-head tie-breaker with both teams looking at a postseason trip.
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Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks
Date and Time: Monday, December 2, 2019, 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA
Opening NFL Odds: Seattle -2.5, O/U 49
Vikings at Seahawks TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
There has been very little movement on the line since opening at Seattle -2.5. We saw a slight spike to Seattle -3 and nothing over the last several days. This looks like a game where the big money is going to hold out until the last possible moment. Seattle is hopeful a number of key players will be ready to go come Monday. Jadeveon Clowney and Duane Brown, key figures on each side of the ball are listed as questionable. The Seahawks improved to 9-2 SU and won a third straight ATS with last week’s 17-9 win in Philadelphia. Both their losses came at home where they are 3-2 SU and 1-4 ATS. The Vikings are just 1-6 SU and ATS in their last seven road games following a bye.
Minnesota Vikings
This isn’t the matchup the Vikings want coming off their bye. But if they are to be considered among the best in the NFC it’s one they better win. The Vikes have dropped five in a row to Seattle, including that painful home playoff loss following the 2015 season. Three of those losses came in the Pacific Northwest where the Vikings are also 0-3 ATS. The last meeting took place last season with Kirk Cousins doing very little in a 21-7 loss.
This will be a good test for Cousins, who has a reputation for underperforming against quality teams. He’s put together a strong season to date completing over 70 percent of his passes for 2,756 yards with 21 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Cousins hasn’t been intercepted since beating Philadelphia in Week 6 and he’s tossed 12 touchdown passes since then.
It looks like Adam Thielen is ready to give his sore hamstring a workout after missing the previous two games and three of the last four. The off week gave him some extra time to heal and his return will be a boost to Cousins and the offense. With Dalvin Cook surpassing 1,000 yards on the ground the Vikes have the fourth-best run game in the NFL. They will try and expose Seattle’s defense while keeping the ball out of Russell Wilson’s hands.
Seattle Seahawks
For the longest time the Seahawks had the best home field advantage in the NFL. That’s not the case this season with both their losses taking place in front of the 12th man. And they’ve been a worse bet covering in only one of five home games. Those defeats were administered by two of the best in the NFL in New Orleans and Baltimore, so there isn’t too much to be ashamed of.
The success enjoyed by Seattle in previous years was due to their Legion of Boom defense, which led the NFL in fewest points allowed for four seasons between 2012 and 2015. Now it’s time for Russell Wilson and the offense to shine. A leading candidate for MVP, Wilson continues to twirl his magic. He’s thrown 24 touchdown passes with only three interceptions, though he’s been picked off in each of the last two games.
Seattle still likes to run the football and they’ve been good at it again this season with the seventh-best ground game in the NFL at 137 yards per game. Wilson has the ability to extend plays with his elusiveness while Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny are a formidable duo. Penny went over 100 yards last week against Philly averaging 9.2 yards per carry with a 58-yard scoring run.
Bet Vikings at Seahawks at BookMaker.eu
This is the perfect time for the Vikings to break their long losing streak in the series. Coming off a bye with wins in six of their previous seven games, the Vikings are also staring at the top of their division. And Seattle has been vulnerable at home. But don’t let that record fool you. With Wilson and an opportunistic defense, the Seahawks can play with the best of them. And until Cousins shows up against a good team, I have to lean toward the Seahawks with a cover.
NFL Score Prediction: Seattle 24, Minnesota 20
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
