MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-1)	WK 3	NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (0-2)
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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.

Who knew that they actually play football in the National Football League, huh? We're finally to the third game of a Minnesota Vikings season that already feels like it's been going for about three months or so, and today's opponent is a formidable one despite their 0-2 record.

So, what do the Vikings have to do in order to pull off what would be considered a sizable upset this weekend against the New Orleans Saints?

1) Get to Drew Brees - The Minnesota defense got some very good pressure against the St. Louis Rams in their opener, and then the pass rush was just about non-existent against a New England Patriots team that decided to employ an extra offensive lineman rather than spread the Vikings out. The Saints are going to be an issue for the Vikings with all their options at wide receiver to go along with tight end Jimmy Graham. With guys like Xavier Rhodes and Captain Munnerlyn coming off of a pretty rough week against New England, they're going to need to rebound in a hurry.

2) Control the ball and the clock - Of course, the best way to keep Drew Brees and the Saints' offense from scoring is to keep the Saints' offense and Drew Brees off the field. The Vikings are going to have to get something going with some combination of Matt Asiata, Jerick McKinnon, and Joe Banyard this week to keep the Saints' defense honest. Oh, and Matt Cassel possibly completing a pass that goes more than ten yards in the air would be a nice help, too. . .but I'm not holding my breath that it will actually happen.

3) Focus. . .again - Going into last week's game, the Vikings had faced a couple of crazy days. Now, after a week of dealing with the fallout from the Adrian Peterson situation, the team is probably happy to be as far away from Minneapolis as they can get and actually playing football. Mike Zimmer and the rest of the Vikings' coaches have been doing their best to keep the team focused and ready to play football, and we'll see exactly how well that's going to turn out now that the team actually has to hit the field.

As much as I'd love to see the Vikings march into the Superdome and steal a win against a team that's considered an NFC favorite, I just don't see it happening. It may be just too much of a "perfect storm" of things for the Vikings to overcome. . .all the off-field distractions, the Saints in their home opener, and so forth. The Saints' defense is bad enough where the Vikings might have a shot at keeping it close, but I have a feeling that both teams leave the Superdome this afternoon with a 1-2 record.

Prove me wrong, Vikings. Prove me wrong.

It's less than an hour until kickoff in New Orleans, ladies and gentlemen. We hope you'll be here to hang out with us while the game is going on.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!