Minnesota Vikings at Washington Commanders: Key information and first quarter discussion

We are just an hour away from kickoff at FedEx Field, ladies and gentlemen, as our Minnesota Vikings try to keep their winning streak going at the expense of the Washington Commanders. Here’s everything that you need to know to be ready for today’s contest.

Date and Time: Sunday, 6 November 2022, noon Central time

Location: FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Television Coverage: KMSP-9 in the Twin Cities, FOX affiliates around the country, DirecTV Channel 712

Radio Coverage: Vikings Radio Network, SiriusXM Channels 146 and 391, SiriusXM App Channel 820

Line: Vikings -3, Over/Under 43.5

Chris’ Prediction: Vikings 24, Commanders 20

Three Keys

1) Be prepared for the elements - The Vikings don’t play a lot of games that are affected by weather, but this one certainly could be because the forecast for the DC area is calling for rain showers all morning and into the afternoon. Hopefully the equipment folks have packed the correct shoes to keep the Vikings from slipping and sliding all over the turf at FedEx Field.

2) Keep winning in the red zone - The Vikings were 5-for-5 in touchdown opportunities last week against Arizona, but the Commanders have one of the best red zone defenses in the NFL. Kevin O’Connell’s red zone play calling has been outstanding thus far, particularly inside the 10, and that trend needs to continue so that the Vikings are scoring touchdowns in the red zone instead of field goals.

3) Keep Taylor Heinicke contained - Like Kyler Murray last week, Taylor Heinicke is one of those quarterbacks that can keep plays going by getting out of the pocket and moving around. The Vikings’ pass rush has gotten itself going over the past couple of weeks, and they need to be smart in their rushes to keep Heinicke contained and prevent him from making those big plays.

Know the Foe: Hogs Haven

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That’s everything you need to make sure you’re up to date on today’s game at FedEx Field, ladies and gentlemen. As always, the new Open Threads will fire up at the start of each quarter, so make sure to keep an eye out for those and keep the discussion moving along.

Here’s hoping that in about three hours or so we can get together and talk about how awesome it is to be 7-1 heading into next week’s big game against Buffalo.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!