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Less than one hour from now, the final game of the 2019 NFL preseason will kick off, as the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills will take the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park. The starters aren’t going to play in this one, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be some interesting things happening this evening.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s contest.
Time: Thursday, 29 August, 6:00 PM Central
Location: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
Television coverage: KSTP-9 in the Twin Cities, and a host of other local affiliates throughout the Upper Midwest that you can see right here. The NFL Network replay will start at 3:00 AM Central time on Friday, or approximately five hours after the live airing concludes.
Radio Coverage: Vikings Radio Network, SiriusXM App Channel 819
Line: Nope
Prediction: The score really doesn’t make any difference, although a 4-0 preseason would be sort of cool, I guess.
Three keys
1) No significant injuries - While we know that the starters aren’t going to play tonight, but there are still going to be some key backups for the Vikings that will play at least a little bit. Hopefully the Vikings can get out of this one healthy.
2) Can we get the damn kicking situation figured out, please? - We’re about 48 hours away from the final roster cutdowns, and we still don’t know who’s going to be handling the majority of the special teams duties for this team. Austin Cutting is set as the long snapper, but we still don’t know who’s going to kick, punt, and hold for this team. Where does Kaare Vedvik fit into things? Will either Matt Wile or Dan Bailey be unemployed in two days? Will Chad Beebe continue to serve as the holder? It’s way too late in the preseason to not have the answers to these questions, and hopefully they’ll get answered tonight.
3) Will the Vikings keep three quarterbacks? - It would appear that Kyle Sloter is going to get the majority of the snaps for the Vikings tonight, and he’s been one of the hot topics of conversation surrounding this team all preseason. Can Sloter make a strong enough case tonight to force the Vikings to keep three quarterbacks on the roster?
Know the Foe: Buffalo Rumblings
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Enjoy the first half, folks! We’ll have the second half Open Thread up during halftime, so be sure to keep your eyes out for it.
SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!