The Vikings looked good in Leslie Frazier’s debut as the head coach last week as they beat the Redskins 17-13.  The Bills have won 2 of their last three games so they are also on the upswing.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings are going to come out running the ball with Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart against a Bills’ D that is allowing 167.4 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so far this year.  The Vikings will also likely give Brett Favre a few more chances to take shots down the field this week against a Bills’ D that has allowed 20 passing TDs while only intercepting 4 passes. 

When the Bills have the ball:  The Vikings need to focus on stopping RB Fred Jackson both running the ball and in the passing game as he was a pain in the Steelers’ butt last week.  The Vikings need to get after Ryan Fitzpatrick because if he has time to throw the ball he’s likely going to make some plays.  WR Steve Johnson, despite dropping a game winning pass last weekend, is still Fitzpatrick’s go-to man so the Vikings but need to double him at times.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 24, BILLS 20

The Vikings have lost four of the last five games but they will have Leslie Frazier calling the shots instead of Brad Childress who has been fired.  The Redskins rebounded from the 59-28 beatdown the Eagles put on them two weeks ago to win a hard fought game in O.T. over the Titans 19-16 in Tennessee.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  I have a feeling that the new head coach is going to start off his career by giving the ball to the best player on the Vikings early and often in this game.  Adrian Peterson should have a solid game against a Redskins’ D that is allowing 131.0 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry.  When the Vikings do go to the air look for Brett Favre to be targeting Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe.  The Redskins are giving up 280.1 yards passing per game this year so as long as Favre stays away from CB DeAngelo Hall he should have some success.

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Skins are a banged up team right now.  Their top WR (Santana Moss) is iffy for this game and if the doesn’t play I see the Skins having a hard time moving the ball.  Donovan McNabb is likely going to try to throw the ball a lot against a Vikings’ D that is allowing 218.0 yards passing per game.  If Moss can’t go, Anthony Armstrong or Joey Galloway is going to have to step up.  The Vikings should pay special attention to Chris Cooley who is a pretty good TE.  The Redskins will be using Keiland Williams as the main RB and I think he’ll have problems getting many yards against the Vikings’ D-Line.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 23, REDSKINS 17

This could very well be Brett Favre’s last start of his NFL career if it goes badly.  But this is the kind of game where he could be inspired for one last time in his career to greatness.  As bad as this season has gone for the Vikings, they are still 3-1 at home.  The Packers are 2-2 on the road this year but they are on a 3-game winning streak.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  Listen up Vikings…….give the ball to Adrian Peterson at least 25 times (running the ball) this Sunday against the Packers and you’re going to win the game.  The Packers are allowing 114.2 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  Peterson ran good against the Packers in the first meeting but then the Vikings decided to throw the ball instead which was a big mistake.  The Packers have 28 sacks and 14 interceptions this season so Brett Favre is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly while still being careful. 

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are going to come off the team bus throwing the ball.  The Packers are averaging 243.1 yards passing per game as Aaron Rodgers likes to spread the ball around.  The Packers are going to try to jump up on the Vikings quickly to force them to get away from running Adrian Peterson.  The Vikings have to go all out to stop the Packers’ passing game because they aren’t too worried about Brandon Jackson or John Kuhn beating them on the ground.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 27, PACKERS 24

If the Vikings are going to make a playoff run they have to win this game, period.  That will be easier said than done as the Vikings are 0-4 on the season where they have been outscored 99-71.  The Bears are beatable at home however as they are 2-2 there outscoring the competition 73-71.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings are going to have to mix things up to be effective in this game.  They will need Brett Favre to pass the ball on early downs to open up running lanes for Adrian Peterson.  The Bears are only allowing 83.9 yards rushing and 3.5 yards per carry so Peterson is going to have to earn every yard.  The Bears only have 11 sacks so far this year so Brett Favre should have time to throw the ball.  He will need Percy Harvin, Vinsanthe Shiancoe, Adrian Peterson and Bernard Berrian to step up.

When the Bears have the football:  The Vikings’ pass rush woke up last weekend and it’s perfect timing.  Bears’ QBs have been sacked 32 times already this year so look for DEs Jared Allen and Ray Edwards to be in Jay Cutler’s face early and often this Sunday.  The Vikings only have six interceptions this season so I look for the Bears to be aggressive in the passing game.  The Bears might try to get the running game going too but Matt Forte and Chester Taylor have been running in quicksand so far this year.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 20, BEARS 17

The Minnesota Vikings might be having a lot of turmoil this season but they have played well at home.  They are 2-1 at home this year and they have outscored their opponents 58-41.  The Cardinals are a simply putrid road team as they are 1-3 away from home and they have been outscored 117-44.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  This is going to be a game where the Vikings give the ball over and over to the best offensive player on the team.  Adrian Peterson is going to have a monster game against the Cardinals who are allowing 143.1 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year.  Brett Favre will likely have some success throwing the ball tomorrow as the Cardinals are giving up 231.0 yards passing per game.  But I see him operating as a game manager type against the Cardinals.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  For some reason the Cardinals think they are a passing team.  They would be smarter tomorrow to try to attack the Vikings on the ground with Beanie Wells, Tim Hightower and LaRod Stephens-Howling.  I say this because Derek Anderson is a turnover machine.  He will likely throw at least two passes to guys wearing purple tomorrow.  The Cardinals are wasting Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston this year due to a lack of a NFL QB on the roster.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 23, CARDINALS 6

The Vikings have been running in quicksand this year while the Patriots have won 4 games in a row to get back to being one of the best teams in the NFL.  With Brett Favre hobbling around with two fractures in his ankle, Tarvaris Jackson could be the Vikings’ starting QB tomorrow.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  The temptations to throw a lot are going to be there tomorrow.  The Patriots are giving up 282.0 yards passing per game and Randy Moss is going to want to stick it to his old team.  I just can’t see the Vikings dropping back and throwing the ball a lot tomorrow.  Tarvaris Jackson is not a good passing QB and Brett Favre will be operating with a flat tire if he plays.  That means the Vikings will likely turn to the best player on the offense (Adrian Peterson) to carry them home. 

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Vikings only have six sacks this year and they are giving up 209.2 yards passing per game so this might be the week that the Patriots go back to the air.  Tom Brady will likely spread the ball around a lot tomorrow so the Vikings won’t be able to double any of his WRs.  The Patriots are also running the ball more than usual this year so the Vikings will also have to be ready to deal with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 30, VIKINGS 20

Last season the Vikings swept the Packers by a combined score of 68-49!  Brett Favre was awesome against his old team last year as he completed 41 of 59 passes (69.5%) for 515 yards with 7 TD passes and 0 INTs!  He’s not the same player he used to be but don’t be surprised if he gets up for this game and plays his best football of the year.  Aaron Rodgers was no slouch last season either as he completed 52 of 78 passes (66.7%) against the Vikings for 671 yards with 5 TD passes and 1 INT.  While I don’t expect this game to be a shootout….you never know.   Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  While Brett Favre is going to be tempted to air it out in this game, the Vikings would be smart to come out running the ball with Adrian Peterson.  The Packers are giving up 112.5 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so Peterson should have a good game tomorrow night.  The Vikings need to keep Brett Favre clean in this game so that he doesn’t get happy feet.  If Favre has time to throw the ball he’s going to challenge the Packers’ corners deep with passes to Randy Moss and Percy Harvin.

When the Packers have the football:  The Packers have thrown the ball 60% of the time so far this year and I see no reason for anything to change that tomorrow night.  The Vikings only have six sacks this season so Rodgers is going to have time to throw the ball which is bad news for Minnesota.  The Packers are likely going to spread the field with Rodgers choosing between WRs Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Donald Driver most of the night.  Any help that Brandon Jackson or John Kuhn can give the Packers on the ground will be a bonus.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 30, PACKERS 27

The Vikings destroyed the Cowboys 34-3 in the playoffs last season so you know they have this game circled on the calendar.  Both teams are desperate at 1-3 on the year so the loser will be in a very deep hole come tomorrow night.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  I think the Vikings are going to come out of the locker room fired up, big time.  I think they are going to come out running the ball with Adrian Peterson and they need to keep feeding him the ball all game long to keep the Cowboys’ D honest.  The Vikings must protect Brett Favre because he should have some success throwing the ball especially off playaction passes if Adrian Peterson is running well (which is likely).  Randy Moss and Percy Harvin should each have good games tomorrow.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys would be smart to run a balanced offense in this game.  The Vikings will have to deal with Felix Jones’ speed and Marion Barber’s power if the Cowboys are smart (which they aren’t a lot of the time).  The Vikings must get after Tony Romo because he makes a lot of mistakes when he’s under pressure.  But if he has time to throw the ball he has a lot of weapons (Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Roy Williams and Dez Bryant) in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 27, COWBOYS 24

Brett Favre has had two weeks to rest up and get ready to play one of his old teams.  He beat the Packers twice last year and he will likely be motivated to stick it to the Jets.  Randy Moss will be playing in his first game for the Vikings in quite some time and he too will be motivated to have a big game after all the things the Jets’ corners have been saying about him.  The Jets are on a 3 game winning streak outscoring their opponents 97-51!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings are going to look to run the ball with Adrian Peterson (392 rushing yards) against a Jets’ D that is allowing only 74.8 yards rushing per game and 3.2 yards per carry, so he will likely have to fight for every yard he gets.  The Jets have given up 233.3 yards passing per game so if Brett Favre has time to throw the ball he’s going to be looking Randy Moss’ way.  His addition makes all of the receivers on the Vikings better so Visanthe Shiancoe, Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian could have decent games this week.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Jets are adding Santonio Holmes to the offense making the Jets even more potent than they already were.  The Vikings will have to be ready to deal with LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene with the front seven.  That’s because the secondary is going to have their hands full with Dustin Keller, Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery.  The Vikings are going to need to get pressure on Mark Sanchez because if he has time to throw the Vikings could be in trouble.  Sanchez has 8 TD passes and 0 INTs with a 105.3 QB Rating so far this year.

PREDICTION:  JETS 17, VIKINGS 13

The Vikings swept the Lions last season by a combined score of 54-23 last season.  While the Lions do look improved this year this is the perfect chance to get Brett Favre and the rest of the Vikings on the right track.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Vikings have the football:  I look for the Vikings to come out running the ball in this game.  The Lions are giving up 131.5 yards rushing per game (4.5 ypc) and Adrian Peterson has played very well against them in the past.  Peterson rushed for 225 yards on 33 carries (6.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his two games against the Lions last year.  Look for him to get at least 100 yards rushing this Sunday.  Opposing QBs have a 108.1 Rating against the Lions this year so this is a good opportunity for Brett Favre to get back on the right track.  Favre completed 43 of 56 passes (76.8%) for 499 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs against the Lions last year.  If he doesn’t have a good game against the Lions this weekend he might not have one this whole year.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions offense is built around rookie RB Jahvid Best.  He has 268 total yards rushing and receiving in his first two NFL games of his career.  The Vikings have been very solid against the run allowing 99.5 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry so they will likely be ganging up to stop Best.  But, the outside linebackers and safeties better be ready for him catching passes out of the backfield because he is hard to tackle in open space.  The Lions have also been using the TE a lot in the offense so far this season as Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew have combined to catch 15 passes for 162 yards so far this year.  And they still have Calvin Johnson who the Vikings should consider double teaming. 

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 27, LIONS 17