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The Minnesota Vikings control their own destiny in the NFC North and they can move one step closer with a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. The Seahawks are the favorites, but there really isn't any reason the Vikings can't pull off the upset.
Let's break down three reasons the Vikings will defeat the Seahawks and pick up their ninth win of the season.
4. Seahawks defense
This isn't the same Seahawks defense as years past when they had the Legion of Boom. Coming into this game they averaging 23.9 points per game, which is 21st in the NFL.
That puts a lot of pressure on the Seahawks' offense to have success, and that plays right into the Vikings hands. This is a Vikings offense that can win shootouts, and there is a very good chance that is what this will be.
3. Vikings run defense
The Vikings defense is one of the best against the run in this game. So far this season they are giving up only 94.2 yards per game, which is sixth in the NFL.
The Seahawks also have a lot of questions surrounding their team right now with their running backs. Chris Carson is one of the better running backs in football, but he has a fumbling issue. So far this season, he has lost six fumbles and it's unclear how much longer they will continue to run him out there.
Even if the Seahawks continue to run out Carson, it is still the Vikings' defense that has the advantage.
2. Vikings running game
The Vikings went away from the running game a bit in their last game against the Denver Broncos, but they had to because they were down big in the second half, but they still have one of the best one-two punches in football.
In the previous game against the Dallas Cowboys, Dalvin Cook rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown. Backup Alexander Mattison also rushed eight times for 52 yards.
The Seahawks are known for their rush defense, but so are the Cowboys who are ranked 10th in the league against the run. On the road, it should be expected that the Vikings have a run-first approach in this game and they should find a lot of success.
1. Kirk Cousins can win big games
All the talk surrounding Kirk Cousins heading into the season was how he couldn't win primetime games or the big game on the road. In the past, that was the case, but Cousins is playing the best football of his career, and he is the big reason that the Vikings will win this game.
Two games ago, Cousins led the Vikings on the road in Dallas to a victory and followed it up with a comeback win against the Broncos.
He is playing with a lot of confidence and seems to make the perfect throws at the right time. In the Vikings' ‘last game against the Broncos, he completed 82.9 percent of his passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns.
Cousins is going to have a big game and will lead the Vikings to the victory.
