EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Apparently, Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd didn't get the memo stating that the Seattle Seahawks were the team no one in their right mind would want to face in the playoffs, regardless of their No. 6 seed.
Either that or Floyd isn't in his right mind because he said this is the matchup he has been hoping for since the Vikings lost 38-7 at home to the Seahawks on Dec. 6.
And the fact that Seattle won 36-6 at Arizona on Sunday didn't change Floyd's thinking on Wednesday.
"It's hard to beat a team twice," Floyd said. "And it's the hardest road (to the Super Bowl). We don't want the easy route. We'll take the hard one. We'll fight for it."
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Floyd said he kept his eye on the Seahawks as the Vikings used that humiliating loss to finish 3-1 and unseat the Green Bay Packers as NFC North champions in a winner-take-all regular season finale at Lambeau field.
"They ran over us last time we saw them," Floyd said. "Now we know what they can do and we saw what they can do over the past couple weeks.
"I don't know about anyone else, but I've been kind of watching them just to see their style and how they carry themselves because I felt like we were going to see them again. This is the game I would rather play than Washington (or Green Bay), anyway. So I'm glad we get to play them again."
--After the 2013 season, the Vikings had a choice to make. Give defensive end Jared Allen another contract and hope he had something left well beyond the age of 30.
Or let Allen walk after seven standout seasons and invest that big money in defensive end Everson Griffen, a much younger player who fit new coach Mike Zimmer's ideal qualifications for an end that plays the run as well as the pass.
Two years later, Griffen has posted back-to-back double-digit sack seasons on a team that's heading into the playoffs as a division champion. Griffen had two sacks, including the strip that led to a fumble return for a touchdown, in Sunday night's win at Lambeau Field and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week three days later.
"Everson is a good player, a great person," Zimmer said of the player who in 2010 fell from first-round prospect to fourth-rounder because of character concerns coming out of Southern Cal. "He's got a great attitude.
"I think it's impressive that the team voted him as a captain coming in here because of the way he works and the way he does things and tries to be a great teammate. He played great the other night, he had some unbelievable effort plays. Obviously, he's a talented athlete that gives you a full day's work. When he plays like that, he's tough to handle."
--Tight end Rhett Ellison, who tore the patellar tendon in his knee in the victory over the Packers on Sunday, was placed on injured reserve. He will be missed. He is the team's best blocking tight end and could line up at four different positions, including fullback.
--Tight end Mycole Pruitt, a rookie fifth-round draft pick, will see more playing time with tight end Rhett Ellison being placed on injured reserve because of a torn patellar tendon in his knee. Ellison is the team's best blocking tight end, but Pruitt has improved as a blocker and has a lower center of gravity that he uses to his advantage more now than he did early in the season. Pruitt also has more speed and has shown soft hands as well.
--Defensive end B.J. DuBose, a rookie sixth-round draft pick from Louisville, was promoted from the practice squad to take the roster spot for tight end Rhett Ellison, who was placed on injured reserve after tearing the patellar tendon in his knee. DuBose also can play tackle, which will help the Vikings because of injuries at the position.
--Running back Adrian Peterson has played in only four playoff games in his nine-year career. He is 1-3. He has 367 yards rushing on 93 attempts and 41 receiving yards on four catches. He also has five touchdowns, all rushing, including a team-record three in the NFC title game at New Orleans during the 2009 season. Peterson didn't practice Wednesday because of a lower back injury, but he played through it on Sunday and will play this Sunday.
--Nose tackle Linval Joseph, who has missed four of the last five games because of an injured big toe, practiced Wednesday for the first time in two weeks. He was limited and is looking more likely to play Sunday after missing the Packers game last week.
--Nose tackle Kenrick Ellis (ankle) did not practice Wednesday and could miss Sunday's game. B.J. DuBose, a rookie draft pick, was promoted from the practice squad.
--Fullback Zach Line (illness) did not practice Wednesday but is expected to play on Sunday.
--Defensive end Everson Griffen (shoulder) was limited in practice Wednesday. He will play Sunday.
--Wide receiver Adam Thielen (shoulder/low back) was on the injury report with full practice participation. He will play on Sunday.
