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It’s the last game of Week 14 in the National Football League, everybody, and that means we’ve made it to another opportunity to cheer on the Minnesota Vikings. Tonight, the purple play their lone Monday Night Football contest of the year at CenturyLink Field against the Seattle Seahawks, and they’re in prime position to take a huge step towards the 2018 postseason because of the results of Sunday’s games.
Here is everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
Time: Monday, 10 December, 2018, 7:15 PM Central time
Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
Television coverage: ESPN
Radio coverage: Vikings Radio Network, Sirius Channel 81, XM Channel 226
Line: Seattle -3, over/under 46
Prediction: Seahawks 24, Vikings 23
Three keys
1) Stop the run - The Seahawks come into this game with the #1 rushing offense in the National Football League, averaging almost 150 yards/game on the ground. The ability to run the ball gives their offense the opportunity to do a lot of different things, so it is imperative that the Vikings stop it. The Vikings have been one of the better teams in the league against the run this season, but there aren’t many offenses that make the commitment to the run that Seattle does. If the Vikings can slow down the Seahawks’ run game, it would go a long way towards a victory.
2) Balance the offense - Mike Zimmer has said that the Vikings need to run the ball more. John DeFilippo has said that the Vikings need to run the ball more. Does that mean that they’re actually going to run the ball more? They probably should. Seattle’s run defense is in the middle of the pack, and if the Vikings want to keep their quarterback upright in this one, they need to not drop back 80% of the time like they did against New England last week. Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray need to play a big role tonight for the Vikings to win.
3) Realize what’s at stake - This team, presumably, wants to be playing games in January and (possibly) beyond. We’re at a point in the season where opportunities are becoming more scarce, and if this team wants to make the playoffs, they need to stop screwing around and play up to their ability. We know that this team has the talent and is capable of playing good football, and this is the time that it needs to come together.
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As always, there will be a new Open Thread up at the start of each quarter, so be sure to keep your eyes open for those. With that, enjoy tonight’s action, and hopefully in about three hours we’ll all be here talking about a big Minnesota Vikings victory.
SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!