Minnesota (4-7) at Seattle (8-3)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, Fox.
BetMGM NFL odds: Seahawks by 9 1/2.
Against the spread: Seahawks 8-3, Vikings 4-7.
Series record: Seahawks lead 13-7.
Last meeting: Vikings beat the Seahawks 27-24 on Dec. 22, 2024, in Seattle.
Last week: Seahawks beat the Titans 30-24, Vikings lost 23-6 at the Packers
Vikings offense: overall (28), rush (24), pass (28), scoring (25).
Vikings defense: overall (11), rush (24), pass (7), scoring (18).
Seahawks offense: overall (7), rush (16), pass (4), scoring (4).
Seahawks defense: overall (7), rush (4), pass (14), scoring (7).
Turnover differential: Seahawks minus-7; Vikings minus-12.
Vikings player to watch
CB Byron Murphy Jr. The team’s top cover man has had a quiet year after making his first Pro Bowl last season and signing a new contract worth $66 million over three years. After having career highs with six interceptions and 14 passes defensed last season, Murphy has not picked off a pass and has just three passes defensed. He’ll need to be at his best against the NFL’s leading receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Seahawks player to watch
Linebacker Patrick O’Connell. The Seahawks reserve linebacker was pressed into a more prominent role last week because of injuries, and did a fine job filling in. O’Connell had a career-high nine tackles, as well as the first sack of his career. Should Seattle continue to deal with injuries at linebacker, O’Connell could be pivotal to how the Seahawks defense fares on Sunday.
Key matchup
Seahawks RBs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet vs. Vikings defense. Though the Vikings have given up 140-plus rushing yards in each of their past three games, those opponents were all playing with second-half leads and looking to run the clock. Despite ranking 24th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game, the Vikings are 12th in rushing yards per play allowed and have held their past four opponents to a combined 3.7 yards per carry. Running the ball has been a mixed bag for the Seahawks this season. They rank just 26th in rushing yards per play.
Key injuries
Vikings: Struggling QB J.J. McCarthy entered the concussion protocol after the team returned from Green Bay, putting his availability for Sunday in question. If he’s not cleared in time to play, rookie Max Brosmer would start. … OLB Jonathan Greenard (shoulder) has missed the past two games, but has been practicing on a limited basis. … After getting the entire starting offensive line healthy for the start of the game against the Packers last week for the first time all season, the Vikings lost LT Christian Darrisaw and LG Donovan Jackson to ankle injuries during the game. Their status for Sunday was unclear as the practice week began.
Seahawks: DT Johnathan Hankins (back) will not return from the reserve/non-football injury list this season, coach Mike Macdonald said last week. WR Tory Horton (shin) was placed on injured reserve last week. LB Chazz Surratt (ankle), RB George Holani (hamstring) and S Ty Okada (oblique) left with injuries on Sunday, and injured reserve is a consideration for all three. LB Tyrice Knight (concussion) and LB Ernest Jones IV (knee) both missed last Sunday’s game, but Macdonald was unclear about their status for this Sunday’s game as the practice week began.
Series notes
Minnesota’s win in Seattle last season was the first since 2006, ending a five-game losing streak there. The Vikings are 3-9 all time on the road against the Seahawks. This is their fifth visit to Lumen Field in eight seasons.
Stats and stuff
The Vikings have already lost more than twice as many games as last season. … McCarthy’s completion rate (54.1 percent) is the lowest in the league this season among all QBs with more than 50 passing attempts. His sack rate (11.2 percent) is second worst, and his interception rate (6.3 percent) is third worst. … The Vikings are averaging 5.3 yards per rushing attempt over their past four games. … Vikings LB Blake Cashman had a season-high 16 tackles last week, his fifth straight game with 10-plus tackles for the longest active streak in the league. … The Vikings have forced 40 opponent rushing attempts for negative yardage, excluding kneel-downs, tied for second most in the NFL. … Will Reichard is 21 for 23 on field goals for the Vikings, including 8 of 10 from 50-plus yards. He’s the first kicker in NFL history with four field goals of at least 59 yards or longer in the same season. … The Seahawks are 8-3 for the first time since 2020. Seattle went 10-7 last season and hasn’t had a losing season since 2021 under Pete Carroll. … The Seahawks are 4-3 against AFC foes this season, including 2-2 at home… Sam Darnold bounced back from throwing a season-high four interceptions against the LA Rams to throw two touchdown passes against the Tennessee Titans last week…. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who set the Seahawks single-season receiving yards record last week, leads the NFL in that category this season. His 1,313 yards are 259 more than George Pickens, the NFL’s second-leading receiver. … Linebacker Ernest Jones IV has a career-high three interceptions this season, tied for fifth most in the NFL. … The Seahawks have 36 sacks, good for fourth in the NFL, while the offense has allowed just 11. … Seahawks K Jason Myers went 2 for 2 on field-goal attempts in Seattle’s most recent game. Myers’ lone miss over the past four weeks came on a 61-yard attempt as time expired against the Rams.
Fantasy tip
If McCarthy is not available for Sunday after entering concussion protocol and the Vikings have to turn to Brosmer, who has attempted all of eight passes in his NFL career, Minnesota will want to quickly get the rookie comfortable. Expect tight end T.J. Hockenson to be prominently featured, and consider starting him in your fantasy lineup.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
The Associated Press
