Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons: Key information and first quarter discussion

We’re less than an hour away from kicking things off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium between the Atlanta Falcons and our Minnesota Vikings. Let’s give you all the information you need to be prepared for today’s contest.

Date and Time: Sunday, 5 November 2023, noon Central time

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Television Coverage: KMSP-9 in the Twin Cities, FOX affiliates around the nation, YouTube TV NFL Sunday Ticket

Radio Coverage: Vikings Radio Network, SiriusXM Channel 386 (Vikings feed), SiriusXM App Channel 820

Line: Vikings +4, Over/Under 37.5

Chris’ Prediction: Vikings 17, Falcons 16

Three Keys

1) Stop turning the damn ball over - The Vikings went for the majority of the game against the Packers without a turnover and, wouldn’t you know it, they were the dominant team on the field. Now, the Falcons are a better team than the Packers are, and that makes it more imperative that the Vikings keep their hands on the football and not give the Falcons short fields.

2) Get Jaren Hall comfortable early - Minnesota’s offense, by necessity, is going to look a lot different under the fifth-round rookie than it did under Kirk Cousins. It’s imperative to make sure that the Vikings do things that get him comfortable early on to get him into a rhythm offensively. Hopefully Kevin O’Connell and company can facilitate that.

3) Make Taylor Heinicke uncomfortable - The Falcons benching Desmond Ridder in favor of Heinicke for this week could be beneficial to him in that he’s seen a lot of things that Ridder hasn’t. With that said, he still has a knack for turning the football over, and with the Falcons short-handed at wide receiver in this one the Vikings will have to bring the heat and make him get the ball out quicker than he might like. This will be key to Minnesota’s hopes of victory in this one.

Know the Foe: The Falcoholic

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That should be everything you need to get you up to date on today’s happenings, folks. We’ll have a brand new Open Thread at the start of every quarter, so keep your eyes out for those and keep the discussion moving along.

How about we all meet back here in about three hours so that we can talk about how this team managed to go 4-0 with Justin Jefferson on the sidelines in street clothes?

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!