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BwareDWare94
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
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So many teams are made or broken by the four week mark. Where will your team stand at that point? Break down your team's first four matchups, predict wins or losses, and give an assessment at the end of your piece.
Week 1, @ San Francisco 49ers
Nuts and Bolts:
Let's face it, the 49ers are an absolute crap shoot at this point. It's hard to know how they'll match up with the rest of the NFC. They could be just fine with the boost of a more liked coach, or they could be very mediocre. I'm leaning mediocre. I think the Vikings will take this game over late in the second quarter, much like they did against St. Louis in week 1 of last season.
Prediction:
31-16, Vikings (1-0)
Week 2, vs. Detriot
Nuts and Bolts:
The Lions are still going to be a scary team in the NFC North, but considering the loss of Suh and the fact that we don't know which running back is going to be healthy, I'm hard-pressed to fear the Motor City Kitties all that much as a Vikings fan, assuming the Vikings are healthy. Nevertheless, Matt Stafford may be the most dangerous in-game quarterback not named Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, or Peyton Manning, and can easily drop 350 and 4 on any given Sunday, even if he is just as likely to be highly inefficient. The Detroit Lions are a scary opponent for a young quarterback--their secondary is very underrated and their front 7 is still going to be nasty. Minnesota's defense is what I'm curious about. I look forward to the two meetings between Calvin Johnson and Xavier Rhodes, and I'm excited to see the combination of Newman, Waynes, and Robinson fight it out for the second outside cornerback spot, as I expect Captain Munnerlyn to be relegated to slot duties only. This game could very easily come down to the wire.
Prediction:
Vikings 27 Lions 23 (these teams will split home and home, 2-0)
Week 3, vs Chargers
Nuts and Bolts:
Whether Phillip Rivers and Mike McCoy like it or not, the Chargers are simply and unknown commodity at this point. They have the potential to take charge (
) of the AFC West, and they have the potential to shit the bed, like San Diego has been known to do. Rivers has been a high INT QB in quite a few seasons as a gunslinger, and I can see the Vikings snagging a few turnovers off of perhaps the only NFL player to have more than 5 kids all with the same woman. If the Vikings are as good as I think they might be, I can see the likes of Mike Wallace and Charles Johnson putting on a show in this game. I think the Vikings make their first statement win in week 3.
Prediction:
Vikings 34 Chargers 20 (3-0)
Week 4, @ Broncos
Nuts and Bolts:
OK, so at some point all young teams must come back down to Earth, and the Minnesota Vikings will do so in week 4 against Denver's defense and Peyton Manning. I expect Manning to short-pass the Vikings into submission by the middle of the 4th quarter, with Emmanuel Sanders going ham on the Vikes other corners while Xavier Rhodes gives Demaryius Thomas his best fight of the year. The Vikings will head into a week 5 Bye wondering what the hell happened.
Prediction:
Broncos 31 Vikings 20 (3-1)
In Conclusion:
Needless to say, I see very winnable games to open the Vikings season, but I also understand that Teddy could have a massive sophomore slump. Regardless, I expect Zimmer's defense to keep them in all 3 games to start the year, and I think the Vikings will take control of each game at some point in the second half. Overall, I look forward to this season for my team and hope to watch some good football.
Week 1, @ San Francisco 49ers
Nuts and Bolts:
Let's face it, the 49ers are an absolute crap shoot at this point. It's hard to know how they'll match up with the rest of the NFC. They could be just fine with the boost of a more liked coach, or they could be very mediocre. I'm leaning mediocre. I think the Vikings will take this game over late in the second quarter, much like they did against St. Louis in week 1 of last season.
Prediction:
31-16, Vikings (1-0)
Week 2, vs. Detriot
Nuts and Bolts:
The Lions are still going to be a scary team in the NFC North, but considering the loss of Suh and the fact that we don't know which running back is going to be healthy, I'm hard-pressed to fear the Motor City Kitties all that much as a Vikings fan, assuming the Vikings are healthy. Nevertheless, Matt Stafford may be the most dangerous in-game quarterback not named Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, or Peyton Manning, and can easily drop 350 and 4 on any given Sunday, even if he is just as likely to be highly inefficient. The Detroit Lions are a scary opponent for a young quarterback--their secondary is very underrated and their front 7 is still going to be nasty. Minnesota's defense is what I'm curious about. I look forward to the two meetings between Calvin Johnson and Xavier Rhodes, and I'm excited to see the combination of Newman, Waynes, and Robinson fight it out for the second outside cornerback spot, as I expect Captain Munnerlyn to be relegated to slot duties only. This game could very easily come down to the wire.
Prediction:
Vikings 27 Lions 23 (these teams will split home and home, 2-0)
Week 3, vs Chargers
Nuts and Bolts:
Whether Phillip Rivers and Mike McCoy like it or not, the Chargers are simply and unknown commodity at this point. They have the potential to take charge (
Prediction:
Vikings 34 Chargers 20 (3-0)
Week 4, @ Broncos
Nuts and Bolts:
OK, so at some point all young teams must come back down to Earth, and the Minnesota Vikings will do so in week 4 against Denver's defense and Peyton Manning. I expect Manning to short-pass the Vikings into submission by the middle of the 4th quarter, with Emmanuel Sanders going ham on the Vikes other corners while Xavier Rhodes gives Demaryius Thomas his best fight of the year. The Vikings will head into a week 5 Bye wondering what the hell happened.
Prediction:
Broncos 31 Vikings 20 (3-1)
In Conclusion:
Needless to say, I see very winnable games to open the Vikings season, but I also understand that Teddy could have a massive sophomore slump. Regardless, I expect Zimmer's defense to keep them in all 3 games to start the year, and I think the Vikings will take control of each game at some point in the second half. Overall, I look forward to this season for my team and hope to watch some good football.
