Vikings Open as 7.5-Point Underdogs to Seahawks in Week 5

The Vikings finally have some positive momentum after picking up their first win of the season in Houston. In order to keep that momentum going and get closer to being back in the playoff hunt, they'll have to go through one of the league's best teams next weekend.

In Week 5, the Vikings get their first primetime game of 2020 with a Sunday Night Football showdown against Russell Wilson and the undefeated Seahawks in Seattle. The opening line for the game has been set and the Seahawks are currently favored by more than a touchdown – 7.5 points, to be exact.

Honestly, that might be too low.

The Seahawks are on fire, particularly on offense. They're 4-0 with wins over the Falcons, Patriots, Cowboys, and Dolphins. They lead the NFL with 142 points scored (35.5 per game), although the Packers could surpass them with 21 points on Monday Night Football.

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Almost all of their success can be attributed to the brilliance of Wilson, who has been the best player in the league thus far. He was the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September and stayed hot against the Dolphins this week. Wilson has 16 touchdown passes through four games, tying Peyton Manning's all-time record from 2013. He leads the NFL in touchdown passes, passer rating (136.7), yards per attempt (9.4), Completion Percentage Over Expectation (8.5 percent) and basically every other passing efficiency measure. If the season ended right now, he's the runaway choice for MVP.

Wilson has thrown touchdown passes to eight different receivers, but ten of the 16 have gone to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Chris Carson. Metcalf is currently tied for the league lead with 403 receiving yards, and Lockett has 298 yards of his own. Those two will be a handful for the Vikings' young cornerbacks on national TV.

If there's a concern with the Seahawks, it's that the defense has been historically bad. They've allowed the most total yards per game (476.8) and passing yards per game (401) in the entire league. There will be ample opportunity for the Vikings to have another big day in the passing game on Sunday night.

The game currently has an over-under of 57.5, which is easily the highest O/U of Week 5 at the moment.

This will be the third straight year that the Vikings have played a primetime game in Seattle. They lost 21-7 in 2018 and 37-30 last year, with both of those games happening on Monday nights. Including playoffs, the Vikings have lost six straight to the Seahawks. They haven't beaten them since 2009 and haven't won in Seattle since 2006.

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