DETROIT LIONS (4-4)	WK 9	MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-2)
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-Basically, thou shalt not be a jackwagon in the game thread.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, after a short week of rest, the Minnesota Vikings are back in action and are back at U.S. Bank Stadium. This week, they have a matchup against their NFC North rivals, the Detroit Lions, and are looking to snap their two-game losing skid.

So, how can they go about doing that?

1) Protect Sam Bradford - Over the last two weeks, the Vikings' pass blocking has been atrocious. So has their run blocking, actually. I'm not sure which is worse. This week, the Vikings are taking on a Lions' defense that has not been all that great this season, and they're playing at home again for the first time in nearly a month. Hopefully that, along with a different look from new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, can give Bradford enough time to take advantage of a Detroit secondary that has had its share of issues.

2) Hammer Matthew Stafford - Stafford is having a very good season for the Lions so far, and has a variety of weapons in the passing game that can be used to move down the field in a hurry. The Vikings' defense has not racked up sacks over the past few weeks the way they did early on in the season, and that needs to change if they're going to slow down the Detroit offense. This is a game where Everson Griffen and company need to re-establish themselves as a force.

3) Special teams is still important - Until the Vikings show that they can score points in bunches, they're going to have to play mistake-free football in all three phases of the game. Special teams can be incredibly important in a game like this one, and players like Jeff Locke, Blair Walsh, Marcus Sherels, and Cordarrelle Patterson could slant this game in Minnesota's favor in a hurry.

We'll have a brand new Open Thread for you at the start of each quarter, folks, so keep your eyes out for it. In the meantime, we're less than an hour away from kickoff, so enjoy today's action, everybody!

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!