When these two teams matched up in Week 13, the Seattle Seahawks routed the Minnesota Vikings by 29 points. Suffice to say, the Vikings are looking for a different result when they welcome the Seahawks for the first outdoor playoff game in Minnesota since 1976, airing Sunday afternoon on NBC.
NFL playoffs 2016 live stream: How to watch Seahawks vs. Vikings online
Seattle is on the verge of its third consecutive Super Bowl run.
Given how the Seahawks decimated opponents at the end of the season, a Vikings victory won't come easily. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson is playing the best football of his career, posting a whopping 132.8 passer rating from Week 11 onwards. The onus has fallen on Wilson to carry the Seahawks offense in Marshawn Lynch's absence and he's done exactly that.
On top of a high-powered passing attack, the Seahawks’ defense has yielded the fewest number of points in the league. That doesn’t bode well for a mediocre Vikings offense, which was the fourth-worst unit in the NFL.
Though Adrian Peterson is in the midst of a comeback campaign, the difference in this game may come down to the quarterbacks. And in that regard, the Seahawks have a massive advantage. Wilson leads the league in playoff wins over the last three years whereas Teddy Bridgewater’s lifetime quarterback rating is stuck in the 80s.
The Vikings deserve a lot of credit for their surprise NFC North title and especially their first win at Lambeau Field last Sunday night in the Mike Zimmer era. But if the Vikings are going to be victorious this Sunday, they must keep it close and rely on their solid defense to win.
After a sluggish start, Seattle is on the verge of its third consecutive Super Bowl run. A win in Minnesota Sunday is where it would all start.
How to Watch
When: 1:05 p.m. ET
Where: TCF Bank Stadium
TV: NBC
Commentators: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
Online: NBC Sports
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