Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks 2019: Prediction ATS, Odds For Monday Night Football Game

The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) and Minnesota Vikings (8-3) are likely headed for the playoffs. Their meeting on “Monday Night Football” in Week 13 could determine whether one of the teams contends for a first-round bye down the stretch of the 2019 NFL season.

Seattle and Minnesota enter the final month of the regular season as the conference’s two wild-card teams. The Seahawks are only a game out of first place in the NFC West, which is led by the No.1 seed San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings share the same record as the Green Bay Packers, though Minnesota is in second place in the NFC North because of a Week 2 loss at Lambeau Field.

Both the Seahawks and Vikings have proven to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They are among the hottest teams in football, each team having suffered just one loss since Week 5.

The Seahawks are favored by three points at home, according to OddsShark. Monday’s total is 50.

It shouldn’t be considered much of an upset if the Vikings find a way to win in Seattle. Minnesota is probably the best team in the NFC North and a real threat to reach the Super Bowl.

The Vikings are sixth in scoring defense. Minnesota ranks in the top eight in total yards, yards per play and points per game.

Kirk Cousins has answered many of the questions he faced at the start of the season. The quarterback leads the NFL with a 114.8 passer rating. He’s fourth in both yards per attempt and completion percentage.

Cousins has even come up big in primetime games, a spot where he had previously underperformed for the most part. It was just a few weeks ago that the quarterback went 23-32 for 220 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 111.5 passer rating in a 28-24 road win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Minnesota might need Cousins to be just as good Monday night. Russell Wilson is a top-two MVP candidate because of how well he’s played week in and week out this season.

Wilson is right behind Cousins with a 112.1 passer rating. He’s tied for the NFL-lead with 24 touchdown passes. Like Cousins, Wilson has only thrown three interceptions.

The Seahawks are just ahead of the Vikings in scoring offense. Seattle is the only team that’s beaten San Francisco and their No.1 ranked defense.

An improving defense helped the Seahawks upset one of the league’s two one-loss teams. Seattle sacked Jimmy Garoppolo five times and held him to a 66.2 passer rating. Jadeveon Clowney dominated that contest. The defensive end is likely to return after missing Week 12 with an injury.

Even without Clowney last week, Seattle defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 17-9 on the road. The Seahawks had three sacks. Carson Wentz had two interceptions and a 75.8 passer rating.

Cousins has struggled in all three of Minnesota’s losses. They are the only games in which the quarterback has posted a double-digit passer rating.

Cousins completed only half his passes in a loss at Kansas City. He completed 43.8% of his attempts when the Packers beat the Vikings. The Chicago Bears sacked the quarterback six times when Minnesota lost at Soldier Field.

The Week 13 matchup will fall just eight days shy of the one-year anniversary of the last meeting between the Vikings and Seahawks on “Monday Night Football.” Seattle beat Minnesota 21-7 at CenturyLink Field with a dominant defensive performance in Week 14 of the 2018 season.

Cousins and the Vikings’ offense should be much better this time around. Adam Thielen is likely to return from a hamstring injury that’s forced him to miss a few games.

But a defense that seems to be getting better could find success against an offensive line that can struggle against a good pass rush. Combine that with the magic Wilson often shows in big games and Seattle has a good chance to win a very competitive contest.

Prediction: Seattle over Minnesota, 24-20