Will the Seattle Seahawks suprise the sportsbooks and meet the spread over the favored Minnesota Vikings?

Let’s take a closer look at the teams in the upcoming game in this week’s Offsides Challenge.

First let’s will look at the standings. The Vikings are at 5 wins and 3 losses and the Seattle Seahawks are at 4 and 4.

If we look at the stats in the air, the quarterbacks of both teams are hitting in the mid 60 percent range although the passing game is not the most popular choice of either team.

The Viking defense will be wanting to shut down Russell Wilson, but he has shown many times in games this year that he is no stranger to scrambling, not always getting the big yards and although not perfect, he does hold his own in avoiding getting sacked. And his offensive line has been improving on protecting him also.

Even though Seattle’s strongest points are not their passing game, they do have a number of receivers to turn to that are not strangers in the end zone. In fact both Sidney Rice and Golden Tate each have 3 touchdowns this year.

The Vikings defense may try to wrap up Tate and Rice in coverage but they are not the only weapons they have and they can always go to very capable tight ends such as Zach Miller or Anthony McCoy. Again, not the only tools in the arsenal, but the kinds of players that have shown time and again they are ready and able to be there when needed.

The Seahawks have often been moving the ball well on the ground and turning to the run at times when they need a high percentage play and they will likely be going to the run quite a bit. In fact I think we may see a big game from running back Marshawn Lynch and I would not be surprised if he gets at least one touchdown.

And Lynch is not the only tool they have in their running game. We could also see a fair amount of action from Robert Turbin and Leon Washington.

The Seattle offense is very capable of getting points on the board but in order to help make that happen we will need to see a strong defense as well. The Viking offense has improved their running game the last few weeks.

I think they will have their hands full, but I also think they are up to the job. They will have to keep a close eye on Adrian Peterson, running back for the Vikings who is having a decent year, but I think they will be able to keep him from making the big play that many might be expecting.

I think that they will be effective enough against the run that Minnesota may feel they have no choice but to try and go to their passing game and if they do end up doing that I think that we will see the Seattle defense make the big plays and force turnovers.

As of today the sportsbook Bet Online has the Seahawks as a 5 point favorite and William Hill also had the same line Wednesday evening.

I think a lot of the game will be on the ground and I think the Seahawks will make the spread but it may well be a tight game. If you want to see what the latest odds are for this game or any other game this week, just check the football betting matchup tool located on the left navigation or visit one of our recommended sportsbooks such as William Hill (non US players) or Bet Online.

Also, don’t forget to take a look at the other side of the coin and check out this week’s “Offsides” article by Frank Benjamin here.