The 9-1 Seattle Seahawks play host to the 2-7 Minnesota Vikings in week 11 in what should be an absolute throttling on paper. The Seahawks boast an arsenal of weapons on both sides of the ball and the Vikings have had a forgettable year thus far, having gone through three starting quarterbacks. Seattle is poised for a slaughtering of Minnesota.

Or, are they?

The Seahawks know very well that they have had their share of struggles offensively in recent weeks, specifically when it comes to protecting Russell Wilson. Going up against a pass rush featuring Jared Allen among other young guys is nothing to take lightly.

But, Christian Ponder is the starting quarterback — why should the Seahawks be even the slightest bit worried about this Vikings team?

It’s simple: They have nothing to lose.

Well, nothing but another game of course. The Vikings don’t have a lot left to play for at this point. In an ultra-competetive division, they look all but out of the playoff picture. Mathematically speaking, they’d need a miracle to even think about postseason play. But, Minnesota could be dangerous nonetheless.

When teams begin to feel that sense of desperation at a time like this, they know that pride is the only thing they’re playing for at this point. Teams such as these will pull out every trick in the book if they have to, just to try and catch a mighty Seahawks team off guard. Don’t forget, the Vikings still have the reigning MVP in Adrian Peterson who can still break a big one seemingly at will sometimes.

Seattle has got to stick to their game plan and expect the unexpected when it comes to the Vikings’ offense. If they focus on the here-and-now, they’ll have no problem beating Minnesota. But, if for one second they take a play off, they might end up regretting week 11.

Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter  @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.