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Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings: First Quarter Open Thread

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (6-5) WEEK 13 MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-3)

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Date: 6 December 2015
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Time: 12:00 PM Central Stadium: TCF Bank Stadium
TV: FOX
DirecTV Ch 711
Radio: Vikings Radio Network
XM Ch 82
Sirius Ch 82
TV Announcers: Kevin Burkhardt
John Lynch
Know Thy Foe: Field Gulls
Weather: 38 degrees, winds from the NW at 5 MPH, 0% chance of rain
Line: Seattle -2, Over/Under 42.5 (Thanks to the SB Nation Odds Page)
Chris' Prediction: Vikings 17, Seahawks 16
Final Score: Seahawks 38, Vikings 7 (oops)


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.

We're nearly to kickoff at TCF Bank Stadium in our Week 13 match-up between the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks. A win today for our favorite football team would be a tremendous boost going into the final four games of the season. While the Seahawks haven't played up to expectations this season, they are still the reigning and defending NFC Champions, and a win over them would not only give Minnesota a continued grip on first place in the NFC North, but would give them an almost unbreakable stranglehold on a post-season spot and guarantee them a winning record for the first time since 2012.

So, how can the Vikings go about making that happen?

1) Make Seattle go to the air - This is going to be a tall order for the Vikings, as big nose tackle Linval Joseph will be sitting this one out and Seattle running back Thomas Rawls has played well in the absence of Marshawn Lynch. Even though the Seahawks, like the Vikings, have had some offensive line issues, they. . .like the Vikings. . .are keyed by the ground game. The Seahawks are going to have to adjust to life without Jimmy Graham going forward, and if the Vikings' run defense can keep the Seahawks "behind schedule," it will give the Vikings an opportunity to go after Russell Wilson and a Seattle passing attack that hasn't been very good.

2) Adrian Peterson needs to keep rolling - The NFL's leading rusher blasted his way through what had been the NFL's #1 rush defense last weekend in Atlanta. The Seahawks enter this game sporting the #5 rush defense in the league, allowing just under 93 yards per game. If Minnesota wants to increase their chances for victory in this one, then they're going to have to keep Peterson on track for another big game. If they can do that, the Seahawks might have to start cheating guys up a little bit, and that should give Teddy Bridgewater an opportunity to find his targets in the passing game.

3) Clean up the penalties - After starting the season as the least-penalized team in the league, the Vikings have been flagged 17 times for 163 yards over the past two games. Against a team like the Seahawks, you need to stay relatively penalty-free if you want to have a chance at success. Hopefully the Vikings have figured out why the penalties have plagued them over the past couple of weeks and have made the proper adjustments.

This is another big one, ladies and gentlemen. . .the Vikings have a short turn-around after this one as they'll head to Arizona for a Thursday night tilt with the NFC West-leading Cardinals. I wouldn't think they'd be looking ahead to that one, since they know that the Seahawks aren't going to be an easy out. Hopefully the Vikings can keep their focus in this one and make a real statement for the rest of their season going forward.

Less than an hour before kickoff, ladies and gentlemen. Let's do this thing.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!