MINNESOTA VIKINGS	PRE 1	BUFFALO BILLS
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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 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.

Ladies and gentlemen, we've made it.

For the first time since New Year's Day, the Minnesota Vikings are going to be in action on an actual NFL football field as they take on the Buffalo Bills to kick off their preseason schedule. The weather could potentially get interesting in this one, as the folks from Weather Underground are calling for a chance of thunderstorms starting about an hour after kickoff in upstate New York.

Weather aside, though, here are some of the things we'll be looking for this evening.

1) No injuries - Just like last year, and every preseason, this is going to be the #1 thing for all of the preseason contests. Honestly, what matters more than this?

2) Who's #2 (at QB) - We know that Sam Bradford is the starter at quarterback for this football team, but he likely won't see more than a series tonight. The real battle is for the backup spot between Case Keenum and Taylor Heinicke. Keenum was listed as the second guy on the Vikings' first depth chart that came out this week, but it sounded like Heinicke was getting a lot of snaps with the second team in Training Camp. The Vikings' backup quarterback spot could be pretty important, and it will be interesting to see if one of those two guys seizes the opportunity.

3) Being special on special teams - As we've documented, there really aren't a whole lot of spots on the Vikings' roster that can be considered "up for grabs." If the young guys on the fringes want to make this football team, they're going to have to show solid tackling abilities and discipline so that the coaches might decide to put them on the special teams. Players like Andrew Sendejo and Adam Thielen worked their way up from undrafted free agency through special teams and are now significant contributors to the team. Is the Vikings' next success story on the roster right now?

We're about half an hour away from kickoff in Buffalo, ladies and gentlemen. For those of you that are able to enjoy the broadcast live, hopefully you're doing so. If you can't, well, go ahead and point your DVR towards the NFL Network and grab the replay so you can watch it whenever.