TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Monday, December 7, 5am AEDST
SUNDAY afternoon football in the US will see an NFC conference battle that will hold huge ramifications across the whole NFL.
The Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks are two of the form sides in the competition and this encounter shapes up as a beauty.
The Vikings are in terrific form this season, and after a fantastic road win against the Arizona Cardinals, look to be in ominous touch.
Minnesota superstar running back Adrian Peterson has been stellar in his return season in the NFL, with the veteran running back leading the league in rushing yards and yards per game.
Peterson is sure to garner a Pro Bowl selection this season and is without question the NFL comeback player of the year.
The Vikings have six of their last seven matches, with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater having a limited impact across those matches.
The message is clear for the Vikings’ opponents – stop Peterson; stop the Vikings.
The Seattle Seahawks have had an inconsistent season, but back-to-back wins against the Steelers and the 49ers has their season back on track despite missing running back Marshawn Lynch for large chunks of the season.
Star tight end Jimmy Graham’s debut season for the Seahawks is over after tearing his patellar tendon in the win over the Steelers.
Graham failed to reach the production heights of his New Orleans days, but the 29-year old will still be a huge loss to the Hawks given his big game experience heading into the playoffs.
Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said the Seahawks’ offence should not vary too much heading into the latter stages of the season.
“We’re not going to change,” Carroll said.
“It may seem like it, but we didn’t really change when Jimmy got here. We just wanted to get the football there.
We’ve always thought we had the routes and the concepts to call on and we just needed to put him in position so that we could get that done. So we’re not going to change much, I don’t see us changing at all really.”
Will the Seahawks be able to shut down Adrian Peterson?
Comeback kid Adrian Peterson has been magnificent in his return season, leading the league in multiple running back categories.
With a match up against one of the best defences in the league in the Seahawks, Peterson will need to have a huge outing on Sunday if the Vikings are to continue their terrific run which has seen them win six of the last seven.
“Well these guys have been to the Super Bowl the last two years and they have eight guys that played that are still on the team,” Peterson said.
“So it’s a team that’s similar. They play fast, they play aggressive, they’ve got Pro Bowl calibre players on all levels. So it’s going to be a nice challenge for us and I’m looking forward to playing against a good defense.”
With such a dynamic season being put together by Peterson, he looms as the must-stop man if the Seahawks are to reign victorious.
Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said the Vikings’ offense – which is built around getting the ball in Peterson’s hands – will take a team effort to shut down.
“Adrian is a fantastic football player,” Carroll said.
“He’s always been an explosive, dynamic, physical, come-through guy, big-play guy, everything. They know it and they feature him exactly like you’d think they should.
“They’re going to come at you and you better get the line of scrimmage right, so that’s a huge challenge for us. They block well, they’ve got good schemes, it’s very difficult, so the whole game for us defensively starts there and we have to begin there.”
With Peterson putting up Pro Bowl type numbers all throughout the season, the Vikings’ running back remains the key to Sunday’s pivotal match up.
Match Preview:
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
Winner: Minnesota Vikings – $1.90
Total points Over/Under: Under 42 – $1.96
The Seahawks are without two of their best players in Jimmy Graham and Marshawn ‘Beast Mode’ Lynch, and are in dire need of a win to keep their wildcard hopes alive.
Seahawks’ running back Thomas Rawls has filled the void left by Beast Mode spectacularly, scoring at least one touchdown in the last two matches.
The Vikings are running hot, winning six of the last seven matches, with Adrian Peterson the catalyst for these wins.
We are in the home stretch of the season, and these games are what sport is all about – two playoff contenders battling with the stakes sky high.
The Seahawks will be desperate for the win, but it is hard to go past the Vikings at home – Adrian Peterson is borderline unstoppable and is one of the most bankable players in the entire NFL.
Promotions and specials for week 13 of the NFL season
With the NFL heading towards the latter stages of the season, betting agencies have ramped up their specials and promotions.
Crownbet are offering a bonus bet of up to $50 on multis of four or more legs if all of your selections but one is successful.
Those looking to wage a NFL bet with Sportsbet will need to take advantage of a huge 20% boost on winning 4+ leg Match Betting NFL multis, with a maximum bonus of $200.
William Hill have a number of NFL promotions running this weekend.
Place an in-play bet on the NFL, and if your team scores the last touchdown but losses the game you get money back, up to $50.
William Hill is offering a $50 bonus bet on a four or more leg multi if all your legs but one is successful.
Lastly, all through December William Hill are offering $1.95 lines on all matches.
