The Seattle Seahawks continued their strong start with a 31-23 win over the Miami Dolphins last week to move up to 4-0 on the season. Russell Wilson continued to torch opposing defenses and establish himself as an early MVP candidate, while the defense has done just enough to give Seattle close wins in three of their first four games. Another win in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings would give the Seahawks their first 5-0 start in franchise history, and solidify their status as a title contender this season. Seattle is familiar with Kirk Cousins and the Vikings, having played them five times since 2015.
Wilson and coach Pete Carroll have not lost to the Vikings in their careers, and they will try to maintain their mastery of the team that is coming off its first win of the season against the Houston Texans. Here are four bold predictions for the Seahawks-Vikings game as Seattle looks to head into its bye week with an unblemished record:
1. Russell Wilson passes for three touchdowns
Wilson passed for just two touchdowns against the Dolphins, the lowest number he’s had so far this season. But that’s only because he had at least four touchdown passes in each of Seattle’s first three games. Against Miami, Wilson still completed 24 of 34 passes and passed for 360 yards, although he had his second interception of the season.
This week, however, Wilson faces a Vikings defense that has struggled to defend the pass, giving up 1,167 passing yards through four games for an average of 291.8 yards per game, which ranks just 28th in the league. The seven-time Pro Bowler is playing too well right now to be slowed down by a struggling Vikings secondary. After passing for just two touchdowns against Miami in Week 4, expect Wilson to have more to his name as he looks to find his usual targets in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, who are primed to have big games.
2. Chris Carson has a big game
Against the Dolphins last week, Carson had his best game of the season so far, leading Seattle’s run game with 16 carries for 80 yards and two rushing touchdowns and added three receptions and 20 receiving yards. This happened even though the 26-year old running back briefly left the game and was evaluated for a concussion before being cleared to play.
Aside from struggling against the pass, the Minnesota defense also isn’t doing very well on the ground, giving up 539 rushing yards in their first four games for an average of 134.8 per game, which ranks just 24th in the NFL. Despite an injury scare against Miami and against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, Carson has proven his toughness for Seattle this season and could have another strong performance against a Vikings defense that has struggled to slow down opponents.
3. The defense will slow down Dalvin Cook
While Wilson and the Seahawks’ offense has looked great so far this season, the same can’t be said for the team’s defense. Seattle currently ranks last in terms of yards allowed, as the defense has given up a combined 1,907 yards in four games for an average of 476.8 per game. Ken Norton Jr.’s defense gives up an average of 27.3 points per game, which ranks just 20th in the NFL. While that may seem like good news for the Vikings offense, the Seahawks may actually have an answer for Minnesota’s ground game.
While Seattle has struggled to defend the pass, their rushing defense actually ranks among the best in the league so far, allowing just 303 total yards in their first four games for an average of just 75.8 yards per game, which ranks third. This may spell trouble for a Vikings offense that relies heavily on their rushing attack, with Minnesota tallying 602 rushing yards through four games for an average of 150.5 per game, the fifth-highest mark in the league.
Dalvin Cook is a big reason why the Vikings have one of the best running games in the league. After rushing for a combined 113 yards in Minnesota’s first two games, he recorded 181 yards on 22 carries in Week 3 against the Titans and 130 yards on 27 carries in Week 4 against Texans. Cook, who made his first Pro Bowl last season, leads the NFL with 424 rushing yards and an average of 5.7 yards per carry. The Vikings’ star running back will be difficult to stop, but linebackers KJ Wright and Bobby Wagner have done well against the run, and slowing him down gives the Seahawks a better chance of pulling out the victory.
4. The Seahawks eclipse 30 points and win a close shootout
The Seahawks have scored 30 points in each of their first four games, and it’s hard to see that trend coming to an end against the Vikings and their porous defense. If Seattle can eclipse the 30-point mark, it will be the first time in franchise history that they have done it in five straight games. But even if their offense is firing on all cylinders, a suspect defense will likely keep the game close, especially since Minnesota’s offense has shown that it can light up the scoreboard like they did in their losses against the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans and the win against the Texans.
Fans of the Seahawks have become used to the team pulling out nail-biting, one-score wins, especially last season, and this game figures to be one of them. While the Minnesota offense can make things interesting and keep the game from turning into a rout, Wilson and the Seahawks offense will still be too much and can do enough to pull out another win in what should be an entertaining game. A fifth straight win should further cement Seattle’s status as a title contender more than a quarter into the season.
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