GREEN BAY PACKERS (7-3)	WK 12	MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4-6)
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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 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.

Well, suppose we'd better get this over with.

What do the Minnesota Vikings have to do to have a snowball's chance of winning this afternoon?

1) Protect Teddy Bridgewater - Yes, the team only allowed two sacks last week against Chicago, but if the Packers' offense gets out of hand like they have the past two weeks, the pressure is going to be relentless and Bridgewater is going to have to have time to make plays. Hopefully the Minnesota offensive line is up to the task.

2) Control time of possession - The best way to keep this game close is going to be keeping the Green Bay offense off of the field. In order to do that, the Minnesota running game is going to have to perform at a pretty high level. They'll be without Matt Asiata this afternoon, so Jerick McKinnon and newly-acquired Ben Tate are going to have to keep the chains moving and keep Bridgewater and company in manageable second and third down situations. This team struggles on third and long, and they can't afford to find themselves in those situations in this one.

3) Open things up - Last week in Chicago, the Minnesota offense didn't take a whole lot of shots down the field, with the only pass over 20 yards being the interception thrown on the game's final play. In the first game between these two teams, the Packers' defense got away with overloading the line of scrimmage and not worrying too much about plays down the field. It will be up to Norv Turner and Bridgewater to get the Packers out of that early on. If they can't, it's likely going to be a long(er) afternoon.

Number 4, if I was inclined to do one, would involve Aaron Rodgers getting lost on the way to the stadium or falling off the edge of the earth like Ozzie Smith did in that one episode of The Simpsons. (You know which one I'm talking about.)

Weather-wise, it looks like the rain and snow is going to hold off for this one. That may or may not be a good thing, depending on your perspective.

I'll be honest. . .I don't have a lot of faith in our favorite team going into this one. I'm not sure if any of us do. Then again, fans of the St. Louis Rams may not have had a lot of faith in their team beating the Denver Broncos last weekend, either, but it happened. Any given Sunday, I guess.

Prove me wrong, Vikings. Prove me wrong.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!