The Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks look to follow up their 2022 success in their first game since exiting the playoffs when they meet Thursday for Week 1 NFL Preseason action. Kickoff from Lumen Field is at 10 p.m. ET (NFL Network). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Vikings vs. Seahawks odds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.

With the reduction down to just 3 preseason games, most teams won’t play many (if any) of their key starters during the entirety of the preseason — much less the first game.

The Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell have a short track record of using the preseason to find out which players are competing for back-end roster spots. While some coaches want to build momentum and keep guys who have roster spots locked down on the field a lot, O’Connell showed in his first season as the boss that he had no interest in needlessly endangering his starters. None of his key veteran players took a single snap in the preseason in 2022 and it was reflected in a 0-3 record.

Seattle hasn’t fared much better, going 1-5 over the two years with three preseason games. However, veteran coach Pete Carroll has made it more of a point to get his starters some live snaps during the preseason, and that may be why the Seahawks are prohibitive preseason favorites.

Vikings at Seahawks odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:03 a.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML): Vikings +150 (bet $100 to win $150) | Seahawks -185 (bet $185 to win $100)
• Against the spread (ATS): Vikings  +3.5 (-110) | Seahawks -3.5 (-110)
• Over/Under (O/U): 35 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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Vikings at Seahawks picks and predictions

Prediction

Seahawks 23, Vikings 14

Moneyline

AVOID.

There are very few scenarios where you should risk nearly twice as much money on a bet as you win if you’re right. Seattle deserves to be a significant favorite because they have more depth than Minnesota and those 2nd- and 3rd-string guys on the depth chart are going to be the ones playing.

The Seahawks should win this game without too much difficulty, but it’s simply too big a bet for too little in return.

Against the spread

TAKE THE SEAHAWKS -3.5 (-110)

Asking a team to cover the extra hook on 3.5 points seems like a lot for a preseason game, but there are a handful of games on this week’s slate that are higher.

The Vikings’ 1st-team defense was brutal despite going 13-4 last year — much less the guys on the back side of the roster. New defensive coordinator Brian Flores is bringing an aggressive new style to Minnesota, but the guys who will be playing the most snaps in this game are more than likely going to be unemployed Labor Day weekend.

The Seahawks’ depth beyond the starters is deeper than the Vikings and indications are they may give some of their starters a series or two in front of the home fans — something the Vikings won’t do. That alone is reason to think the Seahawks have what it takes to cover this number.

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Over/Under

TAKE THE OVER 35 (-110).

There is only one game with a lower O/U than this one in the first week of preseason action. Minnesota’s defense is still learning a new scheme and is going up against a Seattle system that has gone largely unchanged for more than a decade, the Seahawks could easily turn one of the projected 3 field goals into a touchdown. If that’s the case, the Vikings don’t need to accomplish much to hit the Over.

Some prized offensive playmaking rookies for both teams — WR Jordan Addison for the Vikings and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and RB Zach Charbonnet for the Seahawks — are expected to have a play or two designed to hit a home run. If one of them hits, the Over just gets that much easier to attain.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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