bclemms
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Tonights game could be one that we look back on at the end of the season. We need New England to pull out a victory tonight over the Vikings. This should be a very hard fought game that comes down to a clutch kick at the end.
Expect the Vikings defense to put a lot of pressure on Brady and try to force him into mistakes while on defense. Expect the Pats to play a somewhat conservative game and just try to win the field position battle and move the chains. The VIkings have played very good football the last few weeks and have a lot more talent than the talking heads give them credit for. The Vikings have also scored a TD on defense both of their last two games. The left side of their offensive line is dominant and they are beginninng to gel. If this team can play to their potential in the running game then they could be the team to beat in the NFC. Brad Johnson is a far cry from a pro bowl QB but he does do a nice job of managing the game. Expect to see heavy doses of Chester Taylor who has very quietly snuck into the top 3 in the league in rushing yards coming into this game.
In the passing game the Vikings WR's are hurting. Troy Williamson suffered a concusion last week and was probrable on the injury report from Wednesday but then downgraded to questionable on Friday. Williamson has said he expects to play but will be a game time decision. Williamson has had trouble holding on to the ball so far this year with the Vikings and has dropped more than a couple balls which should have gone for huge gains. Having watched the Vikings play I can tell you that Williamson has been beating just about anyone that lines up across from him so far this year and if he can ever catch the ball could live up to the high 1st round pick potential the Vikings thought they were getting.
Marcus Robinson has started to emerge as Johnson's reliable go to guy the last few weeks, especially since Williamson has struggled to hold on to the ball but he is also listed as questionable on the injury report. Robinson is listed as questionable but more than likely he will be out with a back injury. He has missed 4 straight days of practice and it was reported that he was hurting so bad on Thursday that he couldn't even tie his own shoes. The Vikings will likely be relying on Travis Taylor and Bethel Johnson to fill the void left at WR. Travis Taylor is familiar with the starting lineup but he too sustained a concusion in last weeks game against Seattle.
Expect New England to cram 8 in the box and dare Brad Johnson to beat them deep. New England has the leagues 5th ranked rushing defense allowing just 83.8 yards per game and allowing just 3.5 yards per carry.
New England will try to establish the run just as they have in most of their games this year boasting the league's 6th best rushing offense. What most people don't know is that the Vikings are ranked 2nd in the NFL in rushing defense behind only the Ravens. The Vikings have played aggressive defense and have one of the leagues best secondaries. At corner they have Antoine Winfield and Fred Smoot leading the way and rookie 2nd round pick Cedrick Griffin filling in and playing some very good football. Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith fill in the safety spots and there are very few safety tandems that carry the big play ability that these two do. Look for New England to try and spread the field to find mismatches in the short passing game mixed with heavy dosages of Dillon and Lawrence Maroney. If their is one weakness in the Vikings defense it is the LB position. TE's Ben Watson and Daniel Graham should have some favorable match ups as well as Kevin Faulk and Maroney coming out of the backfield.
Keys to the game:
Vikings front 4 must get pressure on Brady
Vikings must establish the run to help the WR's
Vikings can't give up the big play
New England has to stop Chester Taylor
New England has to protect Brady
New England has to be patient in the passing game
Vikings head Coach Brad Childress is not scared to throw wrinkles in the game plan each week. They have had success on multiple occasion on trick plays and gambles. Childress will take shots especially on 3rd and short so don't be shocked to see him continue this. He has looked like a fool on a couple occasions this year and on a couple others he has looked like a genius.
It hurts me to say this but GO PATRIOTS!
Expect the Vikings defense to put a lot of pressure on Brady and try to force him into mistakes while on defense. Expect the Pats to play a somewhat conservative game and just try to win the field position battle and move the chains. The VIkings have played very good football the last few weeks and have a lot more talent than the talking heads give them credit for. The Vikings have also scored a TD on defense both of their last two games. The left side of their offensive line is dominant and they are beginninng to gel. If this team can play to their potential in the running game then they could be the team to beat in the NFC. Brad Johnson is a far cry from a pro bowl QB but he does do a nice job of managing the game. Expect to see heavy doses of Chester Taylor who has very quietly snuck into the top 3 in the league in rushing yards coming into this game.
In the passing game the Vikings WR's are hurting. Troy Williamson suffered a concusion last week and was probrable on the injury report from Wednesday but then downgraded to questionable on Friday. Williamson has said he expects to play but will be a game time decision. Williamson has had trouble holding on to the ball so far this year with the Vikings and has dropped more than a couple balls which should have gone for huge gains. Having watched the Vikings play I can tell you that Williamson has been beating just about anyone that lines up across from him so far this year and if he can ever catch the ball could live up to the high 1st round pick potential the Vikings thought they were getting.
Marcus Robinson has started to emerge as Johnson's reliable go to guy the last few weeks, especially since Williamson has struggled to hold on to the ball but he is also listed as questionable on the injury report. Robinson is listed as questionable but more than likely he will be out with a back injury. He has missed 4 straight days of practice and it was reported that he was hurting so bad on Thursday that he couldn't even tie his own shoes. The Vikings will likely be relying on Travis Taylor and Bethel Johnson to fill the void left at WR. Travis Taylor is familiar with the starting lineup but he too sustained a concusion in last weeks game against Seattle.
Expect New England to cram 8 in the box and dare Brad Johnson to beat them deep. New England has the leagues 5th ranked rushing defense allowing just 83.8 yards per game and allowing just 3.5 yards per carry.
New England will try to establish the run just as they have in most of their games this year boasting the league's 6th best rushing offense. What most people don't know is that the Vikings are ranked 2nd in the NFL in rushing defense behind only the Ravens. The Vikings have played aggressive defense and have one of the leagues best secondaries. At corner they have Antoine Winfield and Fred Smoot leading the way and rookie 2nd round pick Cedrick Griffin filling in and playing some very good football. Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith fill in the safety spots and there are very few safety tandems that carry the big play ability that these two do. Look for New England to try and spread the field to find mismatches in the short passing game mixed with heavy dosages of Dillon and Lawrence Maroney. If their is one weakness in the Vikings defense it is the LB position. TE's Ben Watson and Daniel Graham should have some favorable match ups as well as Kevin Faulk and Maroney coming out of the backfield.
Keys to the game:
Vikings front 4 must get pressure on Brady
Vikings must establish the run to help the WR's
Vikings can't give up the big play
New England has to stop Chester Taylor
New England has to protect Brady
New England has to be patient in the passing game
Vikings head Coach Brad Childress is not scared to throw wrinkles in the game plan each week. They have had success on multiple occasion on trick plays and gambles. Childress will take shots especially on 3rd and short so don't be shocked to see him continue this. He has looked like a fool on a couple occasions this year and on a couple others he has looked like a genius.
It hurts me to say this but GO PATRIOTS!
