MINNESOTA VIKINGS (0-0)	GAME #1	CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-0)
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Since January 4th, we've waited for this. It's been a long off-season since the playoff loss to the Eagles that ended the 2008 season for the Beloved Purple, but it's a new season full of new life and new excitement. The expectations are high, and now we finally get to see if this group of players is going to be able to meet them. So what are the keys to victory this afternoon for the Vikings?

1) Get Adrian Peterson going early - This one is obvious. As the Vikings' running game goes, so goes the Vikings' offense. Brett Favre is still trying to develop some chemistry with his receiving corps, and the best way to take the pressure off of him would be to pound Peterson and Chester Taylor into the line repeatedly to loosen things up in the passing game. Big Shaun Rogers, who we're familiar with from his days in Detroit, has been listed as questionable with a foot injury, and that can only help the Vikings in the run game, too. The Browns were also 28th in the NFL against the rush in 2008.

2) Get to Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar, or whoever the Browns have at QB - The Browns are not going to beat the Vikings on the ground. Jamal Lewis is currently the only healthy back on the Cleveland roster. . .and, let's face it, Jamal Lewis isn't terribly good any more. Yeah, he was a 1,000-yard rusher last year, but he did it while averaging 3.6 yards/carry. So, it's important that the Vikings stop the Browns' passing game, and that starts with getting to the quarterback. With Jared Allen matched up with All-Everything tackle Joe Thomas, I think that a lot of the Vikings' pressure is going to come up the middle. If the Vikings can get pressure with the front four and blitz occasionally, they should be able to make it a long day for presumptive starter Brady Quinn.

3) Be a hell of a lot better on special teams than they were in 2008 - Cleveland's Josh Cribbs might be the best return man in the NFL, and we all know how abysmal the Vikings' special teams. . .particularly the punt coverage. . .was in 2008. The Vikings can't allow Cribbs to constantly give the Browns the advantage of starting on a short field. If the VIkings can make the Browns put together long, sustained drives, it plays to Minnesota's advantage, in my opinion. Chris Kluwe would be wise to sacrifice some distance for hang time on his punts in this one.

Since I mentioned the injury reports, here they are for each team:

On paper, this is a game that Minnesota should win. . .of course, as Vikings fans, we all know how that tends to work out, don't we? Let's just hope that this team goes out there and plays the way they're capable of playing, keeps the turnovers to a minimum, and sticks with the power running game that has been their hallmark during the Brad Childress era. If they do those things, they'll start the season 1-0 and put themselves on the right track in 2009.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!