Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Minneapolis, Minnesota
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th+OT | F | |
| Redskins | 9 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 32 |
| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| Washington | Stat | Minnesota |
| 116.7 ypg (11th) | Rush Offense | 169.6 ypg (1st) |
| 212.8 ypg (15th) | Pass Offense | 169.5 ypg (30th) |
| 329.5 ypg (17th) | Total Offense | 339.1 ypg (11th) |
| 19.6 ppg (21st) | Scoring Offense | 23.2 ppg (12th) |
| 98 ypg (9th) | Rush Defense | 67.9 ypg (1st) |
| 219 ypg (18th) | Pass Defense | 266.4 ypg (32nd) |
| 317 ypg (10th) | Total Defense | 334.4 ypg (19th) |
| 20.2 ppg (13th) | Scoring Defense | 18.4 ppg (8th) |
As I type this, the Eagles have taken a quick 7-0 lead over the Saints on a crazy play that involved Donovan McNabb running about 40 yards, getting stripped, and seeing Kevin Curtis fall on the ball as it bounced around in the end zone. Take 'em any way you can get 'em, folks. Good start for the Vikings, in any event.
Eagles/Saints is on DirecTV channel 706, and the other game we need to keep an eye on between the Giants and the Bills is on DirecTV channel 704. The "Prev" button on my remote is going to get quite a workout over the next couple of hours.
And there's a deep pass from Brees to Devery Henderson for a huge gain, and the Saints are inside the Philly 10. The Bills have also just taken a 7-0 lead over the Giants. Damn, it's like I'm live-blogging already.
Anyway, about tonight's game. . .this is the most nervous I've been for a Vikings' game since this blog started almost a year and a half ago. I wasn't super-confident going into last week or anything, but I thought we had a very good chance of coming out on top. This game makes me even more nervous, despite the fact that the Redskins are starting a bad quarterback and have several key injuries on defense, including putting their second-leading tackler (LB Rocky McIntosh) on IR this past week.
(Saints have just tied the game at 7. . .and the Eagles have just turned it over in Saints' territory on a Westbrook fumble. Crap. Ah, well, I should know better than to think that things would work out the way the Vikings need them to.)
This is looking more and more like a must-win for the Vikings. Adrian Peterson has been bottled up for two full games now, by his standards, and you have to wonder how much longer that can last. The Vikings will pound the ball at Washington's defense, and I think the Redskins will stack the box to try to prevent that. . .not that its done any good for any other team this season, but they'll try it anyway. I have a gut feeling that we're going to see more of the Tarvaris Jackson that we saw in the weeks leading up to the Bears' game, as opposed to the Jackson we saw last week. He'll take much better care of the ball and won't kill the Beloved Purple with turnovers. On defense, it's going to be all about getting to backup QB Todd Collins, who had a terrible performance last week in what was his first start in 10+ years. I fully expect the Redskins' running game to be a non-factor, as most teams' running games are against Minnesota, and the long yardage situations will lead to the Vikings teeing off on a sub-par quarterback.
It might not be pretty all the time, but I think the Vikings are going to get it done tonight and get themselves one step closer to the post-season.
Gonzo's Final Score Prediction: Vikings 24, Redskins 17
Go Eagles, go Bills, and SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!