Vikings ready for Raiders

The Minnesota Vikings have been preparing for the Oakland Raiders all week and are more than ready. The Oakland Raiders have an 8-3 all-time series lead over the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota will be without stud running back Adrian Peterson this week, who suffered an LCL tear last week against Green Bay. Peterson is projected to be out one week, but most realist believe 2-3 weeks. Although the LCL is the easiest muscle to repair in the knee, only a one week absence is unlikely.

Without Peterson in the line up, the Minnesota Vikings are turning to last seasons starter and top performer Chester Taylor. Last year Taylor rushed for 1,216 yards on 303 carries for an average of 4.0 yards per carry. Taylor's longest run was for a 95 yard touchdown, and his receiving yards were 288 yards on 28 receptions for an average of 6.8 yards per reception. Taylor also had 6 touchdowns and three fumbles. This season, Chester has rushed for 5.0 yards per carry by rushing for 304 yards on 61 carries. Taylor has only one touchdown and has lost one fumble. Although Taylor has a lot less carries than last season, he is still a huge threat to any team, and a great runner in the Viking backfield.

The Vikings will also have Mewelde Moore in the backfield. Moore has been a great back up since his inception in Minnesota. Moore now in his fourth season as a Viking, and has averaged 5.8 (2004), 4.3 (2005), 5.5 (2006), and 7.1 (2007) yards per carry. Moore has great speed, and should be used frequently in this weeks game to give Taylor a rest. The Vikings will also use full backs Tony Richardson and Naufahu Tahi.

Richardson is in his 13th season in the NFL and second with the Vikings. Richardson began his career in Kansas City and ended up in Minnesota in 2006. In his career, Richardson averages 4.0 yards per carry, and is looking for his first touchdown since 2002. He also has averaged 7.4 yards per reception in his career. This season, Richardson has only four carries for 10 yards, and 4 receptions for 23 yards, averaging 2.5 yards per carry and 5.8 yards per reception.

Naufahu Tahi is in his second season in the NFL. Tahi came to Minnesota through Cincinnatti via a trade at the 2006 NFL Draft. Tahi did not play last season, but has six games under his belt this year. Tahi has 2 carries for 6 yards, and no touchdowns. He also has 1 reception for 7 yards.

Minnesota is starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. This season Jackson is struggling like a raw rookie should be. Jackson has been put in the unfortunate situation of trying to lead his team to victory, but is basically in his rookie season. Jackson played in only four games last season and started the last two. Jackson has a 46.4% completion rating, and a 50.6% passer rating. Jackson has been forced by his coaches to not scramble, but linger in the pocket and try to pass the ball to an open receiver. Tarvaris is a very mobile quarterback and is being utilized very poorly. When allowed to run, Tarvaris has an average of 5.0 yards. On the season, Jackson has ran the ball 13 times for 65 yards, but has been injured a few times. Minnesota needs to teach this young man to slide before he gets hit, and his rushing yards will increase, while his injuries decrease.

Minnesota's receiving corps in probably the weakest in the league. With rookies Bobby Wade and Sidney Rice, and three year veteran Troy Williamson, Jackson has no one who is consistently catching the ball. Although the fault does not lay in the hands of just the receivers, there have been a lot of dropped passes that should be caught. Bobby Wade leads the way for the Viking receiving corps. Wade has 26 receptions for 313 yards and no touchdowns. Wade has an average of 12.0 yards per reception, and his longest reception of the season is 40 yards.

Sidney Rice is second on the team with 18receptions for 212 yards. Rice has an average of 11.8 yards per reception and two touchdowns. Rice's longest reception of the season is for 40 yards as well. Visanthe Shiancoe has 17 receptions on the season for 178 yards and one touchdown. Shiancoe has an average of 10.8 yards per reception, and his longest of the season is 25 yards. Finally, Troy Williamson is ranked seventh on the team in receptions with 9 on the season. Williamson does have a touchdown, which he actually caught for a 60 yard strike. Williamson is ranked behind running backs Adrian Peterson (15rec/220 yards), Chester Taylor (10rec/133 yards), and wide receiver Robert Ferguson (15rec/161 yards). Williamson has been a big disappointment since being drafted in the first round in 2005.

In order for the Vikings to win this game, Chester Taylor needs to touch the ball 25 times or more. Taylor's average yards increase as he warms up in a game. Taylor will thrive this week on once again being the teams leader in the backfield. Then Tarvaris Jackson, Bobby Wade, Sidney Rice, Robert Ferguson, and Troy Williamson must step up their game. Jackson must scramble to give himself a little more time to throw the ball, and Rice, Wade, Ferguson, and Williamson need to get open faster and catch the ball this week. Fewer dropped passes will increase their reception yardage as well. Finally, the Minnesota Viking offensive line must block for Jackson and give him more time in the pocket. The left side of the line with Matt Birk, Steve Hutchinson, Bryant McKinney and Jim Kleinsasser all do their jobs in blocking. However the right side of the line in Artis Hicks, and Ryan Cook need to block much better. When the opponent's defense is coming through he line, it's usually the right side letting them through.

Then there is the defense. The Viking rushing defense is superb and ranked third in the NFL. However, the pass defense is very weak in the secondary for some reason, and ranked 32nd in the NFL. The Viking pass defense must step it up like they did two weeks ago against San Diego. This Viking pass defense has shown the ability to slow teams down and stop the big plays. This is a must for the Vikings this week for a win.

This will be a very close game. The Vikings and Raiders are both playing for pride, as both teams are out of the playoff race. Minnesota needs to show some signs of life, and play up to their potential. Both teams are very tough, but have struggled all season. The Viking players and fans are equally excited to play against former teammate Daunte Culpepper.

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!

Packers Gearing up for Vikings at Lambeau

Brett Farve and his Green Bay Packers are preparing for their final meet of this season with the torrid Minnesota Vikings. This rivalry dates back to September 29, 1961, when the Green Bay Packers and Bart Starr defeated the Minnesota Vikings 28-10 at Metropolitan Stadium. Since that date, these two teams have met 93 times, with Green Bay winning 47 of those games. The series record between Green Bay and Minnesota gives the Packers a 47-45-1 lead. However, these two teams have met once in the playoffs in 2003, and it was our Vikings winning 23-20.

This season Green Bay and Minnesota played at the Metrodome in week four, as Brett Favre and his Packers defeated our Vikings 23-16, thanks to a last minute interception off Kelly Holcomb. In that game, Brett Favre broke an NFL record by throwing the 422nd touchdown of his illustrious career. In the game on September 30, Favre completed 32 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns, for a passer rating of 108%. Brett's record breaking touchdown was thrown to Greg Jennings for 16 yards, and a 33 yard pass to James Jones. Jennings is one of Favre's favorite receivers to throw to. Jennings has caught 23 passes for 454 yards and six touchdowns on the season.

Brett Favre's other top receiver is James Jones. Jones has 29 receptions for 432 yards on the season and two touchdowns. However, Brett Favre's favorite receiver Donald Driver had 7 receptions for 58 yards against Minnesota in September, and the Viking defense kept him out of the end zone. Driver has 44 receptions for 539 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season. Driver has always been a deadly force on the field against anyone who has to defend him.

In the backfield for the Packers is DeShawn Wynn who averages 4.1 yards per carry, and Ryan Grant who averages 4.0 yards per carry. The Wynn/Grant duo has combined for 97 carries and 389 yards on the season. Against Minnesota's number two rushing defense in the NFL, both Wynn and Grant will have their work cut out for them. On September 30, DeShawn Wynn carried the ball 10 times for 20 yards, which is his lowest average of the season, while his counterpart Ryan Grant had 3 carries for 17 yards.

This game is a must win for our Minnesota Vikings. The key element to winning here will be for Minnesota to continue their performance on the run defense, and have their passing defense step it up again this week. The Vikings had their best game of the season last week against San Diego. Their passing defense stifled the Chargers as they gave up only 199 passing yards for the day. Minnesota's 32nd ranked pass defense usually allowed 288 yards per game. The Viking run defense was also at their best, as they allowed 42 total yards rushing for the game. Minnesota held San Diego's stud running back LaDainian Tomlinson to 45 total yards for the day, and quarterback Philip Rivers to 5 yards rushing, while Michael Turner was stopped for a loss of 3 yards on his only carry.

Offensively, Minnesota will need to get the ball to Adrian Peterson about 25 times and Chester Taylor 15-20 times. The Vikings will need to mix it up a bit, and keep Green Bay on their heels. If Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor can find their groove again, it is going to be a long day for Green Bay. This will be Peterson's first trip the the "Frozen Tundra" and the mystic of Lambeau Field. The Vikings have fared pretty well at Lambeau, as they have a history record of 15-15-1. For our passing offense, Minnesota will most likely rely on Brooks Bollinger at quarterback, and the likes of Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade for receiving. Troy Williamson who has been an utter flop in the NFL, should be used more often in short slant passes, then turn up field and utilize his speed to get by defenders. Minnesota's needs to keep Green bay on their heels defensively all day, and look for another stellar performance by their defense.

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!

Vikings Set to do Battle in Frozen Tundra

The (3-5) Minnesota Vikings enter the "Frozen Tundra" this weekend looking for revenge from a week four loss to the (7-1) Green Bay Packers. This bitter rivalry is now entering its 94th game in its history, with the Packers leading the series 47-45-1. These two teams met in week four, and it was Green Bay winning 23-16, thanks to a last minute interception off Kelly Holcomb.

This time it will be the Viking's back up quarterback Brooks Bollinger playing for the injured Kelly Holcomb and Tarvaris Jackson. This season, Bollinger is 17 of 24 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown. Bollinger's passer rating is at 112%, and he has been sacked four times this season and thrown no interceptions.

Minnesota's poor offensive performance this year was improved upon last week, as the Vikings newest stud running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 296 yards, three touchdowns, and caught one pass for 19 yards against San Diego. Peterson has been brilliant this season as he has rushed for over 100 yards in every game except week three against Kansas City, and week seven against Dallas. Adrian is also on pace to breaking Eric Dickerson's rushing record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Adrian Peterson is 1,069 yards shy of breaking the record, with eight more games left to play. If Peterson can keep up the same pace in the next eight games, he will make the Eric Dickerson record chase very interesting. Peterson has already set a Viking record of having more than three 100 yard rushing games by a rookie, and two NFL records, as he rushed for over 200 yards twice in his rookie season, and has broken the single-game record of 295 yards rushing from Jamal Lewis, who set that record in 2003.

Peterson's counterpart Chester Taylor is averaging 4.6 yards per carry and scored his first touchdown of the season last week. Taylor was the Viking's number one running back last year and rushed for 1,216 yards, for an average of 4.0 yards per carry. With the emergence of Adrian Peterson and a two week absence due to injury, Taylor has only carried the ball 58 times this season for 267 yards. Taylor is still a vital part to this Minnesota running unit, as he gives a much needed break to Adrian Peterson, and is a great decoy when need be.

The Vikings passing offense has not been nearly as productive this season. The Vikings offense was criticised every week last season, as the brunt of the blame went to veteran quarterback Brad Johnson. This season the Vikings offensive woes have been partly blamed on rookie Tarvaris Jackson. However, the brunt of the blame should go to Brad Childress. Childress has put Tarvaris is a very precarious situation by having an unseasoned quarterback to lead this team. Jackson is fresh out of Alabama State University, and needs a few years of development in this league before being put in to lead any team. Jackson is very young, raw, and inexperienced. Jackson will be sidelined this week with a broken finger. Childress is also resting his offensive success on Sidney Rice, Troy Williamson, and Bobby Wade.

Bobby Wade has been the most productive receiver this season for the Vikings. Wade's 24 receptions for 284 yards leads the team for receiving. Unfortunately, Wade has not found the end zone. The next receiver for the Vikings has been Sidney Rice. Rice has 18 receptions for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Both Wade and Rice average 11.8 yards per reception, and they both have 40 yards for their longest pass reception. The big difference between the two is that Rice has found the end zone twice. As far as Williamson goes, it's been another disappointing season for him. He is fifth on the list for Viking receivers with 9 receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown. Williamson was drafted in 2005 for his speed, and has been ineffective. Williamson continually drops catchable passes, and in my opinion is looking at being cut next season.

This Vikings offense got a huge boost last week in their 35-17 victory over San Diego. Adrian Peterson led the team with 296 yards rushing off 30 carries. He had three touchdowns and a pass reception for 19 yards. His counterpart Chester Taylor had 9 receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown, while Sidney Rice had 4 receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Ryan Longwell was 5/5 in extra points and 0/1 in field goal attempts. Longwell missed a 57 yard field goal, which was run back 109 yards for a touchdown.

The Vikings need to do much of the same offensively this week. The Vikings need to have Adrian Peterson touch the ball 25 times, Chester Taylor touch the ball about 15-20 times, and mix it up a bit with some passes to Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade. Minnesota should also look at giving short slants to Troy Williamson, then let him use his speed to beat out defenders. If the Vikings can get productions from Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, like they did last week. You should be looking at another Viking victory.

SKOL VIKINGS!!!!

Vikes Jolt Bolts 35-17

The Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson ran all over the San Diego Chargers this afternoon, to leave the Bolts jolted in Minneapolis. The Vikings ran for over 300 yards, as Adrian Peterson ran for a record breaking 296 yards in a 35-17 Minnesota Vikings victory over the San Diego Chargers.

The unthinkable happened today as Adrian Peterson ran all over San Diego, gaining 296 yards and three touchdowns, breaking two NFL records. Peterson became the first running back to rush for over 200 yards twice in a rookie season, and his 296 yards rushing, broke Jamal Lewis's record of 295 yards in a game on September 14, 2003 against the Cleveland Browns. Peterson also scored on runs of 1 yard, 64 yards and 46 yards respectively. Besides rushing for 296 yards on 30 carries, Peterson also had one reception for 19 yards.

Chester Taylor scored his first touchdown of the season, as he rushed for 60 yards on 9 carries, and ran in a 2 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The remainder of the Viking offense came from quarterback Brooks Bollinger who completed 7 of 10 passes for 95 yards and one touchdown. Bollinger hit Sidney Rice for a 40 yard strike in the third quarter. Rice caught the pass and scampered for the touchdown, diving into the end zone to avoid running out of bounds. The touchdown was Rice's second of the season. Brooks entered the game in the third quarter for the injured Tarvaris Jackson. Jackson took a devastating blow to the head, taking him out of the game. For the second week in a row, Bollinger seemed to give a spark to the Minnesota offense. Nonetheless, it was the running game of Adrian Peterson who gave the most momentum to our offense, as he out gained the remainder of the team combined.

The Viking defense was awesome all around today. They limited a dangerous LaDainian Tomlinson to just 40 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown. The total San Diego rushing offense only gained 42 yards on the day. Minnesota's pass defense was even on mark, as they allowed Philip Rivers to 19 completions on 42 attempts for 197 yards and no touchdowns. The Viking defense also had one sack, one interception, and one force fumble which they recovered.

San Diego's scoring came in the first quarter on a one yard run from LaDainian Tomlinson, and a 109 yard run back on a failed field goal from Ryan Longwell. Antonio Cromartie caught the ball and ran it back 109 yards for the touchdown, breaking another NFL record of 108 yards set by Cedric Benson of the Chicago Bears. The Chargers final score came in the fourth quarter on a 36 yard field goal from Nate Kaeding. Kaeding was 1/1 in field goals, and 1/1 in extra points for the day.

This was definitely Minnesota's day. The Vikings pass defense which ranked 32nd in the NFL, held Philip Rivers to 19 completions on 42 attempts for 197 yards, stopped the running power of LaDainian Tomlinson to only 40 yards on the day, recovered one fumble, recorded a sack, and an interception. The Viking offense rushed for a record 378 yards against the number seventh ranked rushing defense in the league, and saw Adrian Peterson set an NFL record in rushing for 296 yards in a single-game. What a game it was today at the Metrodome. The Minnesota Vikings gave their fans something to cheer about, and this is hopefully only the beginning of a turnaround for our Vikings.

SKOL PETERSON!!!!
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SKOL VIKINGS!!!!!!