MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-1)	WEEK 4	DENVER BRONCOS (3-0)
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The journey through the AFC West continues for the Minnesota Vikings, as they head to the Mile High City to take on the Denver Broncos. This is the Vikings' last game before their (ridiculously) early bye week, and it would be a good thing for them to go into that break with some momentum.

So, what can they do today in order to make sure that happens?

1) Punish Peyton - The Vikings' defense has spent the past couple of weeks making Matthew Stafford and Philip Rivers regret their life decisions. If they can do the same with Peyton Manning, they can greatly increase their chances of winning this football game. The Broncos' offensive line has been pretty leaky this far this season. . .Manning has already been sacked eight times in Denver's first three games after only taking 17 sacks in all of 2014. . .and it could be even leakier with starting left tackle Ty Sambrailo having been ruled out for this week's game. The Vikings need to replicate the relentless pressure they've brought over the past two weeks and get to Manning early and often to keep him from taking advantage of the array of weapons he has in the passing game.

2) Be smart on offense - The Vikings, through the first three games, have the NFL's 32nd-ranked pass offense in terms of yardage. The Broncos' defense, through the first three games, is the best in the NFL against the pass. With Charles Johnson out of this one and Jarius Wright ailing, the Vikings are going to be thin at wide receiver. . .a bad spot to be in against the league's best pass defense. The Vikings, obviously, aren't going to be able to go all day without throwing the football, so when Teddy Bridgewater drops back to pass, he's going to have to make good decisions. Opportunities against Aqib Talib and Chris Harris are going to be few and far between, so Bridgewater is going to have to spot them when they appear.

3) Control the clock - This goes hand-in-hand with the second point. While the Broncos' defense has also been very good against the run this season, they allowed Jamaal Charles to go off for 125 yards and nearly six yards/carry a couple of weeks ago. After rushing for 260 yards over the past two weeks, Adrian Peterson appears to be back in form. Peterson will, once again, be the key to the offense in this one. If he can keep the Broncos' defense honest, it would go a long way towards getting the Vikings a victory.

This should be a hard-fought, physical game between two of the NFL's best defenses. Both offensive lines are going to have their hands full this afternoon. . .and even though I expect the Vikings to get to Manning frequently in this one, his presence is still enough, in my opinion, to swing the pendulum towards the home team ever so slightly.

As always when I pick against our favorite team, I would be incredibly happy to be proven wrong. So. . .prove me wrong, Vikings. Prove me wrong.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!