The Vikings and Seahawks have two of the NFL's best defenses and each group features a multi-faceted difference-maker at safety. For the Vikings, it's Harrison Smith. For the Seahawks, it's Earl Thomas. These two big-time leaders and playmakers are the subject of this week's Ticketmaster Hot Matchup.

Smith is a perfect fit in Mike Zimmer's defense. He can cover, support the run and blitz. Smith is also a leader on the field and in the locker room, and he plays with an attitude that rubs off on his teammates. Despite missing last week's game in Atlanta with a knee injury, Smith still ranks second on the team in tackles with 74, and he's also added 6 QB hits, 2.0 tackles for loss, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble and 1.0 sack to his 2015 resume. With his 5 tackles against the Packers two weeks ago, Smith became just one of two players with 300 tackles, 5 sacks and 10 INTs since 2012. The knee injury that sidelined Smith last week has kept his name on the injury report this week so his status remains in question leading up to Sunday's game. If Smith can play, though, he'll be an added boost to a Vikings defense that played well a week ago against the Atlanta Falcons.

Thomas is one of two dynamite safeties on the Seahawks roster. Hard-hitting Kam Chancellor is the other, and together Thomas and Chancellor comprise arguably the best safety duo in the NFL. A touch smaller in size, Thomas more than makes up for it with his big-time playmaking prowess. He's a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro and is the only safety in the past decade to record 100 tackles, 5 INTs and 2 forced fumbles in a single season. Thomas is durable, too, as he's played in all 16 games in every season of his career.

Those in attendance on Sunday will see some of the best safeties in the NFL square off to try and lead their teams to another crucial late-season victory. To see it for yourself, and to purchase other single-game tickets to Vikings games this season, visit the official NFL Ticket Exchange.