Field Gulls
We are hours away from the Seattle Seahawks hosting the Minnesota Vikings to wrap up November. It’s a throwback uniform day and Seattle is looking to clinch a winning season and move a step closer toward returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Minnesota is just about playing for pride and respectability at this point, but that doesn’t mean the Seahawks should take them lightly.
This is game day morning, so you know what that means! It’s time for some game predictions! Before we get into this Vikings matchup, let’s revisit how last week’s Tennessee Titans predictions went!
Bold prediction: No turnovers for either team!
Ding, ding, ding!
Seahawks offense prediction: Rashid Shaheed gets his first touchdown
Not close.
Seahawks defense prediction: A sack party
I predicted seven sacks, which would’ve been a season high allowed by the Titans, but Cam Ward saw to it that he only got dropped four times.
Titans prediction: Jeffery Simmons gets a sack
He got a pressure that led to the only sack, but that’s it.
Game prediction: Seahawks win comfortably
Well I won’t say it was comfortable, but they were never really in jeopardy of losing the game. I’ll consider it sort of a win at 30-24, as onside kicks are just so hard to recover.
After not getting any turnovers off of Cam Ward last week, I’d be pretty disappointed if the Seahawks defense failed to generate any turnovers versus Max Brosmer at home. It was roughly around this time last year that Devon Witherspoon tipped a Brock Purdy pass in the air and into the arms of big Johnathan Hankins for an interception. A few weeks later, Leonard Williams recorded the longest pick-six for a 300+ pound man in NFL history. There are few things more joyful in sports than seeing a big man with a football in his hand. I believe we’ll see someone on Seattle’s defensive front pick off a Brosmer pass, maybe even on a screen.
I gotta admit, it would probably be less bold if J.J. McCarthy was starting.
One of the disappointing developments for Minnesota has been its defense dropping from 2nd in last year’s FTN’s DVOA rankings to 18th this year. Injuries to the likes of Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel have been major, as has the free agency loss of Cameron Bynum, but the game’s the game. Minnesota’s run defense is a middling 14th and they’ve given up 100-yard rushing performances to Bijan Robinson, Quinshon Judkins, Kimani Vidal, and Emanuel Wilson. This is a very exploitable defensive line and the Seahawks have seemingly found a little more rhythm to their rushing attack, even if the numbers aren’t gaudy.
Expect a lot of Kenneth Walker III touches, a few explosive runs, and his first 100-yard rushing day since the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2....
