NFL Roundtable: Are Russ and the Seahawks cooked?

Each week we sit down with BetAmerica Extra columnists Ashley Anderson, James Scully, and Scott Shapiro to discuss the latest news from around the NFL. This week they weigh in on Sean Payton's place in the coaching pantheon, Minnesota's playoff odds, and Seattle's stinker against New York.

Sean Payton has now won his last eight games without Drew Brees. Where does he rank among the NFL’s best active coaches?

Ashley: I rank him fourth currently, behind Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin, and Pete Carroll. The Saints coach has the fourth-best win percentage among active coaches, but his postseason résumé is lacking compared to his peers. He earned one Super Bowl, but in eight playoff appearances, he has lost in the wild-card or divisional round five times, including last season’s shocking wild-card defeat at home. Carroll and Tomlin have won two conference championships in as many playoff appearances as Payton, and Bill Belichick is in a class of his own. Until Payton takes another team deep in the postseason, I’m keeping him toward the bottom of my top five active coaches.

James: I rank Sean Payton among the top three active coaches. Bill Belichick is the greatest of all-time. Andy Reid and Payton come next in the pantheon. Payton gets the most out of his quarterbacks, and he has the Saints positioned for a Super Bowl run. I think Payton took something from the 2018 season, when the Saints tailed off by the playoffs after peaking too soon. Special teams are a rock for the well-coached Saints, but the offense and defense lacked cohesion the first half of the 2020 campaign. The Saints are now firing on all cylinders – they have the best defense in the league – and my money is on New Orleans to win the NFC.

Scott: Sean Payton is clearly a very good coach. He has taken the Saints to the playoffs in four consecutive seasons, has a Super Bowl victory, and continues to get his team off the mat after brutal postseason defeats. I place Payton in the second tier of NFL head coaches, with Andy Reid, John Harbaugh, Brian Flores, Kyle Shanahan, and Sean McVay. Bill Belichick, of course, is in a tier of his own.

The Vikings are back at .500 after downing the Jaguars. Is Minnesota playoff-bound?

Ashley: Minnesota can certainly make the playoffs, but it will take a lot of luck, which the team has relied on greatly in their last two games. The 6-6 Cardinals are on Minnesota’s heels and possess a slightly more favorable schedule down the stretch. The Vikes need to at least win at Detroit, who beat Arizona earlier, and a win at Tampa would greatly increase Minnesota’s chances of a playoff berth. That may be a tall order, though, if the Vikings continue to turn the ball over like they did against Carolina and Jacksonville, two losing teams who nearly edged past the Vikings over the last two weeks.

James: No. Minnesota managed to escape with an overtime win over Jacksonville in Week 13, but I would bet against them making the playoffs. It’s been amazing to see the Vikings get so much out of their talented linebacker corps - head coach Mike Zimmer has a great defensive mind – because the defensive line and secondary stinks. The 1-11 Jaguars had little difficulty running and passing on them. Minnesota has excellent weapons—dynamic rookie Justin Jefferson complements Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen – but I don’t trust Kirk Cousins in key late-season games. The quarterback can be so mediocre when the Vikings need him most.

Scott: The Vikings have rallied back to a 6-6 record after losing five of their first six games, but they will not make the playoffs in 2020. Sure, Minnesota has a trio of great skilled position players in Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and Justin Jefferson, but they are awful on defense, especially against the pass. Expect Mike Zimmer’s squad to drop their Week 14 contest in Tampa and Week 16 game in New Orleans and fall short of postseason glory.

What did you learn about the Seahawks in their shocking Week 13 loss to the Giants?

Ashley: Russell Wilson has seemingly lost confidence in his offense. Against the 5-7 Giants, the former MVP frontrunner went just 27-of-43 for 263 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He also lost a fumble in Giants territory. Wilson often held onto the ball too long and took five sacks for a loss of 47 yards. New York found a way to eliminate deep passing lanes, and Wilson unraveled without those big-play opportunities.

James: They are vulnerable against physical teams in the postseason. Seattle was pushed around up front by the offensive and defensive lines of New York in Week 13. Backup quarterback Colt McCoy (105 passing yards) wasn’t asked to do too much. The Giants knew that as long as McCoy didn’t turn it over, they had the game plan to beat Seattle – run the ball down their throats and play good defense. Defensive woes are well-chronicled for the Seahawks – they allowed New York to gain 6.1 yards per carry in surrendering nearly 200 rushing yards - and offensive line issues were on full display in Week 13. The Giants recorded five sacks and kept Russell Wilson off balance most of the game.

Scott: I was not a big fan of the Seahawks before their Week 13 loss to the Giants, but after that lackluster performance I learned they have no chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. Seattle has one of the best QB’s in the NFL in Russell Wilson and a dynamic playmaker in D.K. Metcalf, but it has far too many deficiencies to beat the Rams, Packers, and Saints. The Seahawks defense had played better of late, but their inability to stop the Giants' running game was particularly alarming. Seattle at best will win one game in the playoffs this year. 

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