Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks Predictions: How to Bet on Tonight's Preseason Game

Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks Predictions: How to Bet on Tonight's Preseason Game

While the regular season may not start until September 7, football addicts get a taste of the action with the preseason. For bettors, it's just nice to have football on again, even if it is the preseason, after a long stint of only baseball. Betting on baseball is fun, too, but when it's the only thing on for two months straight, it can become a bit of a drag (until the playoffs). Tonight, we have a doubleheader, with the Texans and Patriots kicking off at 7:00 pm EST and the Vikings and Seahawks kicking off at 10:00 pm EST. I'm focusing on the latter kickoff for this play.

Vikings vs. Seahawks Date, Time and Where to Watch

Date: August 10, 2023

Time: 10:00 pm ET

Where to Watch: NFL Network

Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks Predictions

The Vikings come off an impressive regular season from 2022, going 13-4 and easily securing the NFC North. Unfortunately, the critics were right, and the run seemed too good to be true, as the Vikings were bounced from the playoffs on their home turf at the hands of the Giants in the first round. Entering 2023, there have been many changes to both the offense and defense. There are several new pieces on defense, and the Vikings picked up a new defensive coordinator, Brian Flores, from the Steelers in the offseason. Flores coached the Dolphins from 2019-2021 and went 24-25, showing he is probably best in the coordinator role than the head coach role, and he is expected to turn around a defense that struggled heavily in 2022.

On offense, the Vikings picked up another potential star wide receiver in Jordan Addison from USC. Addison will fill the hole Adam Thielen left as he parted ways with the Vikings in the offseason. Along with Thielen went Dalvin Cook, the starting running back from 2022. Alexander Mattison is now expected to be the RB 1 in Minnesota, and he has some hungry young men in the depth chart right behind him fighting for a higher spot on the depth chart.

One thing is clear for head coach Kevin O'Connell: he doesn't care about the preseason. The Vikings went 0-3 in the preseason last year, as O'Connell doesn't feel any pressure to win preseason games and plays no one of significant importance. It's unlikely that we see next to any starters play on offense, and the Vikings will likely send out Nick Mullens, while Jaren Hall may get quite a few reps too. However, on defense, I expect the Vikings to send out a few more starters. With Brian Flores taking the reigns of the defense, they still need to learn his system and his defensive coaching style, so we may see more starters on defense getting more reps to help the defense gel in more real game-like snaps in the preseason before the season starts.

On the Seahawk's side, the feeling has to be good entering the 2023 season. After trading Russell Wilson to the Broncos, I'm not sure many Seahawks fans felt optimistic entering the 2022 season, but Geno Smith more than passed expectations, and the Seahawks finished second in the NFC West with a 9-8 record and they even made the playoffs. The Seahawks went on to lose in the first round to the 49ers, but the 2022 season can only be viewed as a positive considering preseason expectations. Pete Carroll proved he is one of the best coaches in the NFL for a reason, and the Seahawks only look improved entering 2023.

After earning the NFL's "Comeback Player of the Year" award last season, Geno Smith is looking to build on an incredible 2022, and he has receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf back to do so. The Seahawks also picked up receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round to round out what may be one of the top receiving rooms in the NFL this season. I am extremely high on this Seahawks offense and think they are in for an even better season this year.

Like O'Connell, Carroll does not pay much attention to the preseason. Carroll is 1-5 in his last two preseasons, and both coaches have a similar approach to these games. With much of the team returning, Carroll is likely to sit almost all his veterans on both sides of the ball.

This game has the feeling of simple offense, testing out new additions and guys lower on the depth chart. While the Seahawks have a reputable backup in Drew Locke at quarterback, I expect the Vikings will start a lot more top defensive pieces than usual, given the situation with new coach Brian Flores and preparing the defense for the regular season. On offense, the Vikings will rest a lot of guys, and I am not very high on Nick Mullens to produce much offense. Also, the Vikings have new faces trying to compete for the backup spot behind Mattison, so the Vikings will be running the ball a lot on offense, keeping the clock running. With that said, I love the under here tonight.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks Pick

• Pick: Vikings/Seahawks Under 35 @ -110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds