Good morning 12s, and happy Blue Friday. Here's a look at what's out there today, October 9, about your Seattle Seahawks.
Picks And Predictions For Sunday Night Football Matchup with Minnesota Vikings
The Seahawks (4-0) will play in their second nationally-televised Sunday Night Football game of the season this weekend as they take on the visiting Minnesota Vikings (1-3). Kickoff is set for 5:20 p.m. at CenturyLink Field. NBC will carry the game live (channel 5 in Seattle).
The undefeated Seahawks will look to improve to 5-0 for the first time in franchise history. Check out some national and local media predictions for the game below.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson and Courtney Cronin both expect the Seahawks’ offense to carry them to a victory. Henderson likes Seattle by a score of 31-24:
"What to watch for: Can Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson continue his historic start and his excellence in prime time? He has thrown 16 touchdown passes this season, tied for the most in NFL history through a team's first four games. And he has a combined 26-7-1 record over his career in Sunday night, Monday night and Thursday night games."
Cronin picked Seattle 38-31 and thinks the game will have a similar script to those the Seahawks have played so far this season:
"Seattle achieving its first 5-0 start in franchise history isn't that bold. You know what is? Wilson and the Seahawks accomplishing that feat in spite of Vikings wideouts Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen each scoring a touchdown and posting over 100 yards receiving. Seattle's defense has allowed 94 catches and 1,345 yards to receivers in the first four games of the season, and that trend is set to continue in Week 5. It's going to take Wilson another shootout to beat the Vikings on Sunday Night Football."
NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal also expects offensive outbursts from both teams, but likes the Seahawks at home, 35-31:
"Russell Wilson is not the only mad bomber in this game. No quarterback has thrown deep more often this season than Kirk Cousins, according to PFF, with increasingly productive results. Rookie WR Justin Jefferson has played so well the last two weeks that I'm afraid to say more about it, and the Vikings have another plus matchup against a Seahawks secondary missing Jamal Adams again. There's little reason to believe the Vikings have fixed their defensive problems enough to slow down the Seahawks, but Minnesota should make this game fun with no one running better than Dalvin Cook. All your fantasy options into the pool!"
"The Vikings finally won a game. Hooray! They managed to beat one of the worst teams in football, barely. They face a very different task this week and the lack of a pass rush against Russell Wilson will be devastating. The Seahawks have some defensive deficiencies, but they will not make life easy for Dalvin Cook and I believe Pete Carroll will find a way to keep Justin Jefferson in check as well. I don't have any faith in the Vikings secondary right now and these are two teams headed in very different directions."
Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus made a similar remark about the Vikings defense, and he expects the Wilson-DK Metcalf connection to continue on Sunday:
"We've seen the Wilson-to-Metcalf connection give Stephon Gilmore and the Patriots problems in coverage. It's about as unstoppable as it gets right now, and it's hard to see that changing against Minnesota who has struggled to generate a pass rush and cover on the back end through the first four weeks of the season. Pick: Seattle"
All four Seattle Times sports writers like the Seahawks to beat the Vikings as well, citing a Minnesota defense that doesn't have the weapons to slow down Russell Wilson even though the Vikings offense is potentially potent. "For a 1-3 team, the Vikings present some problems, particularly on offense, where they have the NFL's leading rusher in Dalvin Cook and dangerous receivers in Adam Thielen, rookie Justin Jefferson and tight end Kyle Rudolph," Larry Stone said. "But the Vikings still cling to an anachronistic 'establish the run' philosophy that plays into Seattle's stout run defense. Bottom line: Quarterback Kirk Cousins won't be able to out-shoot the Seahawks, whose offense should romp one more time against a vulnerable Vikings defense."
Local Artist Austin Jenckes To Perform National Anthem For Sunday Night's Game
Austin Jenckes, country singer-songwriter and native of Duvall, Washington, will be performing the national anthem virtually from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee prior to kickoff of Sunday night's game. Jenckes is a huge Seahawks fan, and he moved to Nashville six years ago to pursue his music career. Since then, his music has received over 25 million streams across various platforms, and in May 2019 he released his debut album, "If You Grew Up Like I Did."
Check out his music at austinjenckes.com.
Pete Carroll To Wear Another Pair Of "Coach The Vote" Shoes
After wearing custom Nike shoes designed to bring awareness to the "Coach the Vote" campaign in games against both the Cowboys and Dolphins, coach Carroll again plans to wear the shoes this Sunday versus the Vikings. This week's pair are designed by Brooklyn-born and Seattle-raised artist Adrian Brandon, whose work is focused on bringing awareness to the Black experience in our communities.
Seahawks Provide Flu Shots Wednesday At Allen Family Center
As part of our continued Crucial Catch efforts, the Seahawks, in partnership with Virginia Mason and CHI Franciscan, provided flu shots to residents of the Allen Family Center. The center was launched in spring of this year as a place for families experiencing homelessness to work side-by-side with providers. Blitz was in attendance, and he even helped lead the families though some healthy exercises and stretches.
The Seahawks, in partnership with Virginia Mason and CHI Franciscan, provided flu shots to residents of the Gardner House & Allen Family Center in the lead up to the Seahawks' Crucial Catch game, Week 5 vs. the Minnesota Vikings.
Read more about our Crucial Catch initiative at Seahawks.com/CrucialCatch.
Homegating Recipe of the Week Presented by Safeway – Hearty White Chili
This unique take on chili is great for a fall family dinner around the TV watching football. It uses cannellini beans, hominy and pork instead of the traditional beef and kidney, pinto or black beans, or you can substitute pork for vegetable broth and make a warm, filling vegan meal. In all, it takes less than half an hour to prepare. Check out the recipe here. And remember, Safeway has also added a "Shop the Recipe" feature to each recipe page, making it easy to add all the ingredients (or just the ones you need) to your cart for a Safeway DriveUp & Go or Delivery order.
Hearty White Chili
Not all chili is red and made with beef! This Hearty White Chile recipe combines cannellini beans and pork for a warm, satisfying dinner. Skip the pork and use vegetable broth to make this meal vegetarian/vegan.
Social Post Of The Day
In a video for The Players' Tribune, Seahawks legends Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril have an entertaining conversation as they get together to make nachos, reflect on their careers and their experience of now watching the game as fans. Check it out here:
More From Around The Web
At Seahawks.com, John Boyle reports on how Chris Carson has shown his toughness through the first four weeks of the season.
Also at Seahawks.com, I write about Russell Wilson saying the offense is “playing at the highest level we’ve ever played” in Thursday’s press conference.
Danny O'Neil of 710 ESPN writes that, despite the flaws, this Seahawks team is actually really good.
Ben Arthur of Seattle PI on the rise of Ryan Neal, from the practice squad, to the 53 man roster, to making interceptions in back-to-back games.
Michael Bumpus (via Brandon Gustafson of 710 ESPN Seattle) says that containing Dalvin Cook will be the key for the Seahawks on Sunday night.
