BALTIMORE RAVENS (3-3)	WK 7	MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4-2)
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-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.

Fresh off of back-to-back divisional victories, the Minnesota Vikings today make their second trip outside of the NFC, as they will host an AFC North foe in the Baltimore Ravens. A victory for the Vikings today would move them to 5-2 and, depending on how some other results bounce, could put them in firm control of the NFC North with a trip to London against the Cleveland Browns looming next week.

What do the Vikings need to do in order to get their third straight victory?

1) Take advantage of opportunities - For the Ravens, quarterback Joe Flacco has been. . .well, he hasn't been good. Through the Ravens' first six games, he's thrown twice as many interceptions (8) as touchdown passes (4) and has a quarterback rating of just 66.1. Flacco is going to give the Vikings opportunities to intercept some passes, and they absolutely must take advantage of those opportunities when they come. If they can do that, they could turn this one towards the Vikings in a hurry.

2) Be smart with the football - Last week, the Vikings allowed 10 points to Green Bay, and Green Bay's two scoring drives covered a total of 48 yards as they both came as a result of Minnesota turnovers (a Jerick McKinnon fumble and a Case Keenum interception). The Vikings might have the best defense in the National Football League, but no defense can reasonably be expected to defend short fields on a regular basis. If the Vikings don't hand the Ravens extra chances and allow them to start in "plus" territory, it should be very difficult for the Ravens to score in this one.

3) Avoid the letdown - Yes, a victory over the Packers is always huge, and the team will be departing for London on Monday for another international series matchup. This could have the makings of a "trap" game, and the Vikings need to keep themselves from falling into it. In the new Aaron Rodgers-less NFC North, there's no time to take your foot off the gas, and the Vikings need to continue on the winning path in an attempt to put as much distance between themselves and the rest of the division as possible.

We are less than an hour away from kickoff at U.S. Bank Stadium, ladies and gentlemen. Be sure to keep your eyes open for a new thread at the start of each quarter so that things don't bog down, and hopefully we'll be celebrating a third consecutive Minnesota Vikings victory in a few hours.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!