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Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings: First Quarter Open Thread

Cliff McBride
WASHINGTON REDSKINS (3-5) WK 9 MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-5)

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Date: 2 November 2014
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Time: 12:00 PM Central Stadium: TCF Bank Stadium
TV: FOX
DirecTV Ch 711
Radio: Vikings Radio Network
XM Ch 229
Sirius Ch 126
TV Announcers: Chris Myers
Ronde Barber
Know Thy Foe: Hogs Haven
Weather: 51 degrees, Winds from S at 15 MPH, 0% chance of rain
Line: Even, Over/Under 43.5 (Thanks to the SB Nation Odds page)
Chris' Prediction: Vikings 24, Redskins 20
Final Score: Vikings 29, Redskins 26


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 keep the GIFs out of the Game Threads. These things tend to bog down enough as it is due to the number of comments. We don't need it to potentially be any worse. If we get a GIF of a big Vikings' play or something, we will drop it in here.

-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.

For the first time in a few weeks, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves at home, as they will host the Washington Redskins. Both of these teams are currently at 3-5, both are coming off of big overtime victories, and both of them would love to go into their bye week with a victory.

So, how can the Minnesota Vikings ensure that happens?

1) Protect Teddy Bridgewater - I told you this was going to be the top thing on the list until the Vikings showed that they could do it consistently. They only allowed Bridgewater to be sacked one time last week in Tampa, and that trend needs to continue today for the Vikings to be successful. The Redskins have been very good against the pass so far (7th in the NFL) and have done a good job of getting after the quarterback. They also blitz more frequently than just about any team in the league, so it will be imperative for the offensive line to give Bridgewater time this afternoon.

2) Continue getting off the field on third down - After looking like a complete disaster on third downs for a few weeks, the Vikings have improved a lot over the past few games. They are allowing just 36% of third downs to be converted this season, and have allowed just 12 of 49 third down conversions (24%) over the past four games. The Redskins offense is among the NFL's worst on third down, converting on just 33% of their attempts, including 3/12 (25%) in Robert Griffin III's lone complete game of the season. The Vikings need to keep both of those trends in place to help their chances today.

3) Be smart on the rush - We all know that Redskins' quarterback Robert Griffin III. . .making his return today after injuring his ankle in Week 2. . .is at his most dangerous when he breaks contain and can move around to make plays. He may not be 100% at this point, but the Vikings still need to make sure that they remain disciplined in their pass rush and don't give him the ability to improvise. If they can keep Griffin contained, it will go a long way towards victory this afternoon. I have a feeling that Everson Griffen, Sharrif Floyd, and the rest of the Vikings' defensive front will be up to the task.

We're about an hour away from kickoff in Minneapolis, ladies and gentlemen. Here's hoping for another Minnesota Vikings victory to give them something to build on going into the bye week.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!