JOTTINGS
• Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on what makes Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson so hard to cover: "First of all, he's really accurate. They've got the quick passing game. They've got the RPOs, They've got all the shots down the field. When he starts to scramble, he throws such a great deep ball that a lot of bad things can happen."
• One area where the Vikings could really have a big day Monday is on the defensive line. Wilson has been sacked 33 times this season, the third-highest total in the NFL.
• The Vikings' remaining opponents have a 29-25-1 record (.536 winning percentage). The Packers' remaining opponents: 20-34-1 (.372).
• Usually the bye week is a big plus, but this year 18 of 28 NFL teams coming off the bye have lost.
• Everybody close to Vikings former GM Roger Headrick thought that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, when he was an assistant Vikings coach, was going to get the head coaching job instead of Dennis Green in 1992. However, there was a lot of pressure to hire black head coaches in the NFL and Stanford's Green won out.
• Kirk Cousins has faced the Seahawks three times. He is 1-2 but has completed 62 of 100 passes for 738 yards, three scores and no interceptions.
• Pro Football Focus ranks Eric Kendricks as the second-best linebacker in the NFL and says he is the Vikings' most underrated player. "Kendricks has also allowed the second-lowest catch rate and produced the most pass breakups among linebackers while in coverage," PFF wrote.
• The Seahawks offense gets a lot of credit, but the defense forced four fumbles in their 17-9 victory over the Eagles and their 24 takeaways this season rank third in the NFL behind the Patriots and Steelers.
• Vikings greats Carl Eller, Alan Page and John Randle are among the 16 finalists for the NFL's picks for best defensive ends all-time.
