The Seahawks offense will have its hands full with a Vikings defense that has played surprisingly well, especially against the run. It was no coincidence last week that the offense was successful in the second half when Holmgren finally committed to running the ball on first down. Even if Maurice Morris is not especially effective, he needs to get the rock and keep the defense honest. A healthy Jerramy Stevens should help draw the attention of the Minnesota linebackers.
The Seahawks should have a lot of success with Deion Branch, Darrell Jackson, Nate Burleson, and Jerramy Stevens in the lineup with Mack Strong and Maurice Morris in the backfield. That package becomes very scary once Shaun Alexander returns. For the time being, Mike Holmgren needs to stop being an idiot and run the ball anyway. If the ball-hawking Vikings secondary can key on the pass, then Hasselbeck with throw costly interceptions. Although it goes against what Holgmren likes to do, he needs to use the run to set up the pass against the Vikings.
The Seahawks defense will be a lot better if the Seahawks get on the board early. The Vikings have trouble playing from behind. The Vikings are not as bad as the Falcons, but they struggle for the same reasons. The two Brads (Childress and Johnson) would like to run the ball as much as possible. Minnesota is not capable of winning shootouts or putting up a lot of points to catch up. Their offensive is successful when ultra conservative with Johnson at the helm.
It makes sense for the Seahawks to commit Michael Boulware in run support this week. They did that the past few weeks when facing teams with formidable passing attacks, which was a mistake. Marcus Trufant appears to be very average at best right now, so it makes sense for Ken Hamlin to give him help over the top if he is covering Troy Williamson. Kelly Herndon should be able to cover the other Vikings receivers. Speed is not a factor for Travis Taylor and Marcus Robinson. Listen up Holmgren and Company - the key to effective pass defense is to not let Williamson get deep. The Vikings will only go three-wide in obvious passing situations, so Boulware can drop back in coverage as well to help out the rest of the secondary in those situations.
Steve Hutchinson will help Chester Taylor rack up yards on the ground, which is why getting a lead is so important. Until the Seahawks can force the Vikings to pass, bringing Boulware up in the box might be necessary to stop the run. Fortunately for Seahawks fans, the Seahawks will not want to let Hutchinson be the reason the Vikings win, so Holmgren will try to put the onus on Brad Johnson to carry the load.
A win this week puts the Seahawks in a great position to make a run at home-field advantage through the playoffs, even with the loss in Chicago. The Seahawks have a great shot to win the next five after this week. That stretch includes road games at the struggling Chiefs and the woeful 49ers, as well as Monday Night home games against the Raiders and Packers. The toughest game might be the rematch against the Rams. This time it is in Seattle and Shaun Alexander should be back by then. Anything can happen, but it is not a stretch to think Seattle might be 10-1 at that point.
The Bears have a bye week, then San Francisco and Miami at home. However, they then go on the road three straight weeks - at the Giants, Jets, and Patriots. A Bears defense without Mike Brown and maybe no Ricky Manning, Jr. either could easily lose two of those three games putting the Bears at 9-2. That stretch is followed by a rematch with division rival Minnesota and then a trip to St. Louis. That gives the Seahawks a chance to regain control of the NFC, but they have to do it by then because the Bears close with Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Green Bay. If the Seahawks can win at least one of the two games against Denver and San Diego, then they have a chance to finish the regular season atop the NFC.
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