MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-7)	WK 11	SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (9-1)
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Here are the ground rules for the Game Threads:

-Thou shalt not link illegal feeds of today's game, or I shall kick thy arse to the curb until the game is over. Do not promote then, do not mention them, do not even hint at them. Thou hast been warned.

-Thou shalt make an attempt to keep the swearing to a minimum. Understandable that it will slip occasionally, but do try to limit it. If you really feel the need to curse, use the spoiler tags to keep it covered up. We'll get the sentiment.

-Thou shalt not feed the trolls. Rather, thou shall simply point them out, and they shall be banished to the fires of Mordor. Or Wisconsin. Whichever we feel is more harsh at the time.

-Thou shalt not engage in racist, sexist, or other such insulting rhetoric. Somebody disagreeing with you does not make them racist or sexist. It means they disagree with you. Talk it out like adults.

-Thou shalt not bait the fans of other teams into trolling.

-Basically, thou shalt not be a jackwagon in the game thread.

Before I get too far into this, I want to apologize to you folks and the readers from Field Gulls for my lack of involvement this past week. Between getting ready to move again here soon and a few other things, there's been a lot going on over on this end, and I haven't devoted the sort of energy to this game that it deserves. Not that those are legitimate excuses, but those are the best I have at the present time.

With that, let's take a look at what the Minnesota Vikings need to do if they want to harbor any hopes of pulling an upset against the prohibitive Super Bowl favorite in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks.

1) Get Adrian Peterson going early - The Seattle defense is one of the best in the league, but they aren't as great against the run as they are against the pass, as they're only 15th in the NFL against the run. A couple of weeks ago in Seattle, they allowed 158 yards rushing to. . .Mike James? (Does he know what the five fingers said to the face?) Anyway, if the Vikings are going to make any hay this afternoon, it will have to be on the back of #28. The Seahawks are #1 in the NFL against the pass, and the Vikings' pass offense is. . .yeah, I don't want to talk about this any more.

2) Limit turnovers - Only one team in the NFL (the New York Giants) has more giveaways than the Vikings. Only one team in the NFL (the Kansas City Chiefs) has more takeaways than the Seahawks. Put the two together, and it reads like a recipe for disaster. The Seahawks already have a pretty decided advantage over the Vikings. . .Minnesota doesn't have to make it worse by repeatedly handing the ball back to Seattle with a short field. As you'd expect when a 2-7 team takes on a 9-1 team, the 2-7 team will have to play almost perfect to win, and that's the case here.

3) Get lucky - To pull off an upset, a team needs to get a couple of breaks here and there. . .whether it's a fluke bounce or whatever it might be, the Vikings are going to have to have lady luck on their side if they're going to pull out a victory in this one.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to view this game as it happens live, as I will be at work (where my NFL GamePass will do me no good). However, I will have access to the site, and will be putting up the second, third, and fourth quarter threads as we move along. My input on the game, however, will be a bit limited. I'll be following along as best I can.

Hopefully everyone can enjoy this one, and who knows. . .maybe something weird will happen in the Pacific Northwest this afternoon.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!