The 2019 NFL season rolls on, and we're here with a betting preview for Monday night's game on ESPN between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.
Both teams are in playoff position. The Vikings sit at 8-3, a half game back of Green Bay in the NFC North after the Packers' win Sunday, while the Seahawks are at 9-2 with a chance to pull even with the 49ers in the NFC West.
Joe Fortenbaugh and Mike Clay offer their best bets for the Week 13 finale.
Note: Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook as of Sunday evening, unless otherwise noted.
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks (-3, 50)
Dalvin Cook under 87.5 rush yards (-110)
Clay: Cook has fallen short of 88 rushing yards in four of his past eight games, including two of his past three. That de facto 50/50 hit rate comes despite a generous workload that has included 72% of the offensive snaps and 64% of the team's designed rush attempts. While still a tremendous producer, Cook's rushing numbers have dipped in recent weeks. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry and reached 100 rushing yards five times during Weeks 1-7, but sits at 3.6 YPC and hasn't hit 100 yards since. This week, Cook will face a Seattle defense that has faced the fourth-fewest rushing attempts (203) and allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards (827) to running backs this season. Seattle has allowed 4.1 YPC to the position, which is 12th-best in the league. Nick Chubb (122 yards in Week 6) is the only back who has cleared 69 rushing yards against Seattle this season. A better baseline for Cook is 75 yards in this game.
Vikings +3
Fortenbaugh: I like the spot here for Minnesota, which is coming off the bye week and traveling to Seattle to take on a Seahawks team that has been more than vulnerable at CenturyLink Field this season. Case in point, Russell Wilson & Co. are just 3-2 straight up and 1-4 against the spread in the Pacific Northwest this year with a minus-12 scoring differential, which includes a one-point win over winless Cincinnati and an overtime victory over turnover-prone Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Vikings enter Week 13 tied with Packers atop the NFC North at 8-3 while boasting a scoring differential of plus-84 (fourth in the NFL). I'd love Minnesota plus the hook at 3.5, but will settle for the Vikings at a price of +3.