The Minnesota Vikings travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks in primetime, Week 5 at CenturyLink Field.

The Vikings, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, are coming off just their first win of the year and desperately need to get their season on track if they have any hopes for a playoff berth.

The Seahawks, on the contrary, are off to one of their best starts in franchise history and QB Russell Wilson continues to “cook.”

We went behind enemy lines and asked Vikings Wire managing editor, Jack White, three questions ahead of Sunday’s matchup. Here’s what he had to say about Minnesota and his score prediction for the national contest at CenturyLink Field.

The Vikings didn't get their first win until Week 4 against the Texans. What do they need to do to get back into the competition in the NFC North?

Oct 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the third quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

For the Vikings to compete in the NFC North this year, a lot has to go their way. The Lions are struggling, but the Packers are 4-0 and the Bears are 3-1. Both are very good defensive teams that will give the Vikings problems in different areas, as evidenced by Green Bay dispatching Minnesota in the opener. The Vikings need the Bears and Packers to regress. For its own team, Minnesota needs the young corners to be quick studies, in order for the pass coverage to improve. The offense has been good recently. The Vikings have to keep giving running back Dalvin Cook the ball, and quarterback Kirk Cousins needs to have more performances like he did against the Texans in Week 4. It’s early in the season, so anything is possible, but the odds are stacked against them for division contention.

Rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson has had back to back 100-yard receiving games, including his impressive 175-yard outing in Week 3. Can he continue on his roll in Seattle?

Sep 27, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) retrieves his first career touchdown ball in the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

I think so. Justin Jefferson had that great game in Week 3 vs. the Titans, and proved it wasn’t a fluke when he had another great game against the Texans in Week 4. He’s done a great job of making catches in tight windows and moving the chains with impressive runs after the catch. With the Vikings trading Stefon Diggs this offseason, Minnesota needed a second wide receiver to step up. I think Jefferson has done that so far, and he could capitalize off an inconsistent Seattle defense.

Minnesota has a tough road ahead on Sunday in primetime. How can the Vikings get past the Seahawks under the national spotlight? Who wins, and why?

Oct 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) hands off the ball to running back Dalvin Cook (33) against the Houston Texans during the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings need Kirk Cousins to have a stellar game. I think it’s pretty much a given that Russell Wilson will pick apart the young Minnesota secondary. So then it comes down to the Minnesota offense scoring a lot of points to keep up. I think if Cousins has a good game and the Vikings can run with success when they have the lead, they could possibly pull it off. But do I think that will happen? Probably not. Wilson is too good, and the Vikings defense is too bad. Final score: Seahawks 42, Vikings 31.