Ali Siddiqui’s Prediction for Seahawks-Vikings
The 4-7 Minnesota Vikings and 8-3 Seattle Seahawks will face off Sunday at Lumen Field. Seattle leads the all-time series 13-7, but Minnesota has won the past two meetings.
Ali Siddiqui delivers his prediction for the Vikings’ Week 13 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, breaking down how he expects the game to unfold.
Minnesota has now lost three in a row after pulling off an upset win over the Detroit Lions on the road four weeks ago. J.J. McCarthy will miss the game due to a concussion, making it the sixth game he will be missing this season after missing all of last season due to a torn meniscus.
Vikings at Seahawks, According to Ali Siddiqui
Not only has his durability been an issue, but his play while on the field has been, too. In six games this season, he has thrown six touchdowns and ten interceptions. While it is too early to say he will be a bust, his durability and play so far are definitely concerning.
Former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer will get his first career start. Seattle won 30-24 on the road against the Tennessee Titans last week. After having a career season in Minnesota last season, Sam Darnold signed with Seattle in the offseason.
Minnesota and Seattle faced off in week 16 last season. That game was also in the Emerald City.
Darnold went 22/35 for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Aaron Jones rushed for 67 yards on 18 carries. Justin Jefferson caught 10 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Blake Cashman recorded a game-high nine tackles. Andrew Van Ginkel recorded two sacks.
For Seattle, Geno Smith went 31/43 for 314 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Josh Jobe recorded a team-high seven tackles.
Minnesota won 27-24 to improve to 13-2 on the season. They finished at 14-3 – clinching a Wild Card spot. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Rams on the road in the first round. Seattle fell to 8-7 on the season with the loss and finished at 10-7. They, however, missed the playoffs for the third time in four years.
It would be a major surprise if Minnesota wins this game. It will even be a surprise if they keep it close. This team is not good enough to make it to the playoffs. The biggest key for the rest of the season is to be at least competitive and get production from their young players, especially at quarterback.
Even if Brosmer has a great game, it is hard to imagine that Kevin O’Connell will not go back to McCarthy. They drafted him 10th overall in 2024 and have invested a lot in him. If they do not start McCarthy again once he is healthy, they are admitting basically that they have lost faith in him.
It has been a disappointing season for Minnesota, especially since they won 14 games last season and added plenty of new pieces to the roster. The hope was that McCarthy would at least look serviceable. He could still be their guy for years to come, but at the same time, it is hard not to be concerned about how his career has gotten off to a rough start.
If McCarthy looks good the rest of the season once he is back under center, it will at least give the fans and organization some hope heading into 2026. While the playoffs are highly unlikely for this team, these final six games still mean something.
Despite McCarthy’s play and trouble staying healthy, Minnesota still made the right choice not re-signing Darnold. Yes, he is having a good season and a big reason why Seattle is currently 8-3, but they needed to know sooner or later if McCarthy can be the guy. He can still be, and if so, playing this year will keep benefiting him.
He is also still on a rookie contract, whereas Darnold’s cap number is $33.9 million in 2026 and $44.9 million in 2027. While it is not impossible to build around quarterbacks with cap numbers that high, it does make things more difficult. Had Minnesota re-signed Darnold, many would have wondered if McCarthy could have done well this season if given the chance.
Would Minnesota have been a Super Bowl contender this season with Darnold? Maybe not. Playoff team absolutely, but even then, how far would they have gone? Probably the second round at best, with an outside chance of making it to the NFC Championship Game.
It has been a disappointing season, absolutely, but it’s still too early to say McCarthy will be a bust and that the outlook for 2026 and beyond will be dire as well.
Prediction: Seattle wins 30-13
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