VS Redskins Pre Game Discussion

[808vikingsfan]

I'll say it first. Trap game. Glad this game is in Minnesota.


I hope Keenum gets a standing ovation.

[akvikingsfan]

I’ll be at this game. I fully expect the Vikings to lose by 10+. I want to see Keenum start a Skol chant like he did frequently in 2017. (I know this won’t happen, but I’d love to see it)

[J. Kapp 11]

I don't see Mike Zimmer letting this team fall into a trap.

Only SKOL chant will be when the Vikings rip the Skins hearts out.

[VikeFanInEagleLand]

I've watched the Redskins enough this year to realize that they truly are awful. And I actually think it's had more to do with the coaching than the talent....not that they have much there either. With a change made to the head coach, and Keenum & Peterson being pumped for this game, I can see them possibly having one of their better efforts. I still don't see it being enough.

[Purple Domination]

Ditto on a standing O for Keenum.

I’m just glad we’re having the kind of season where we can speculate on potential trap games. Those tend to be my favorite seasons.

[Maelstrom88]

Redskins are giving up 134 yards on average per game vs. the run so Dalvin should have a good day. Sucks that Thielen won't play but they should still have plenty of weapons to win this game.

[ERIK the PURPLE]

I could see this being a trap game if it was a noon game (1:00 EDT). But being a national TV game, I see the players being more motivated than they might be otherwise inclined. Vikes 27-10.

[Pondering Her Percy]

When I was at the buffalo game last year my buddy nick kept saying before the game he thought it was a trap game. The thing with buffalo, is they actually had (and still have) a very good defense. Washington is good at nothing. I don’t see this as a trap game at all. And I can guarantee Kirk is going to have a fire under him given it’s his old team.

I say 35-10 Vikings

[Bowhunting Viking]

Cousins said a few weeks back that he definitely plays better when he is a little Salty.. i.e. pissed off.
I am concerned cause things are doing so well the past 3 games and he may lose that "Saltiness". So I am taking matters into my hands.
As I have said here that I know his former center in Washington who is now retired and lives back here in his hometown.
I'm gonna talk to him today and tell him to text Cousins, as they still keep in touch, and tell Cousins via text that Kerrigan had texted him and said that he and Kirk's wife have been secretly meeting and are having an affair.
That oughtta make him REAL SALTY. I predict 685 yards passing and 7 TDs

[Dames]

Cousins said a few weeks back that he definitely plays better when he is a little Salty.. i.e. pissed off.
I am concerned cause things are doing so well the past 3 games and he may lose that "Saltiness". So I am taking matters into my hands.
As I have said here that I know his former center in Washington who is now retired and lives back here in his hometown.
I'm gonna talk to him today and tell him to text Cousins, as they still keep in touch, and tell Cousins via text that Kerrigan had texted him and said that he and Kirk's wife have been secretly meeting and are having an affair.
That oughtta make him REAL SALTY. I predict 685 yards passing and 7 TDs

[CharVike]

I've watched the Redskins enough this year to realize that they truly are awful. And I actually think it's had more to do with the coaching than the talent....not that they have much there either. With a change made to the head coach, and Keenum & Peterson being pumped for this game, I can see them possibly having one of their better efforts. I still don't see it being enough.

When Keenum is your starter that sums it up. He's a stop gap. He keeps getting released, traded ect..... Elway who you would think understands what a good QB is signed him to a big contract. Then realized his mistake and then..... The Redskins picked a guy this year. Don't you think the fans would like to see that instead. The Redskins radio announcers basically said the team wasn't good enough to play him. I'm not sure what that means. Basically the team needs to be rebuilt before he can play. I guess. Do what Jimmy Johnson did with Aikman. Play him and let him take the lumps. Let him learn. The Redskins are a patsy team with little direction. They play Peterson. Why? Is he the future? This is were Zim needs to prove his D is champ ready. Couldn't ask for a better proven ground.

[StumpHunter]

When I was at the buffalo game last year my buddy nick kept saying before the game he thought it was a trap game. The thing with buffalo, is they actually had (and still have) a very good defense. Washington is good at nothing. I don’t see this as a trap game at all. And I can guarantee Kirk is going to have a fire under him given it’s his old team.

I say 35-10 Vikings

They had a good defense and the Vikings had a major distraction right before the game. Very different circumstances with this game.

[mansquatch]

This is certainly set up as a classic trap game. Home field Thursday Night Advantage helps us. By any reasonable measure, they should destroy the 2019 edition of the Redskins. Should...

My older son's football squad has a semi-final game that night. Here is to hoping for two wins!

[VikingLord]

Without oversimplifying things, this game should continue along the same lines as the last 3 provided:

- Cousins continues his strong play. While the Redskins are better at defending the pass than the run, they are relatively weak against the run, and provided the Vikings can continue to run well, Cousins should find favorable matchups in the passing game. If the OL continues its strong play of late and keeps Cousins clean in the pocket, he should be able to have a another big day even without AT on the field.
- The Redskins are, for lack of a better word, offensively challenged. They aren't particularly good at passing or running or scoring, for that matter. It's possible that Keenum and AP will be inspired to greatness by their memories of playing in Minnesota, but more than likely they will generally struggle to move the ball and score as they have all year. This is a good game for the defensive line to get some sacks as well. The Redskin OL hasn't been great this year. That is being generous.
- Vikings don't turn it over on offense and don't allow big plays on defense. The Redskins don't have big play weapons on offense really, but the Vikings should not assume anything about how they will attack the defense. The Redskins might come out more aggressively as they have very little to lose. Vikings should be prepared for anything and need to play efficient and clean on offense.

This is a should-win game for the Vikings. Yes, it could be a trap game on a short week. It is a prime-time game as well, and those haven't been kind to the Vikings in recent years. But I think the Vikings win this one going away if they continue to play as they have on offense and clean up the technical mistakes they made against Detroit on defense.

[J. Kapp 11]

I hate Thursday football. I really do. It's so bad for the players. I've read so much this week about what these guys have to do to get their bodies ready in four days -- and it all comes on top of studying film, going to meetings, practicing, etc. It's just a stupid money-grab for the league, made at the expense of the players. Somebody on the radio the other day suggested they lengthen the season from 17 to 18 weeks (still 16 games), with two bye weeks, and if you play on Thursday, it has to be against a division opponent (so no team has the disadvantage of jet lag, like the Vikings at LA last year), and both teams must be coming off a bye. It'll never happen, but it sure seemed like a good suggestion.

There is no doubt in my mind that we should win this game, and we should win by a large margin. We're significantly better than Washington at every phase, and we're at home. The sticking point for me, though, is the players' bodies and how they recover. I know that Washington has to do the same thing. But it's just a crapshoot when you start factoring in recovery, especially when it comes to linemen and linebackers, guys who take a beating. If Reiff or Linval or Barr somebody is just a little off, not injured per se, but just not fully recovered, things can get weird. Get a matchup of a recovered body against a body who's struggling, and anything can happen.

On the positive side, home teams win about 70% of Thursday night matchups, historically, with very few upsets by heavy underdogs (I think the line is Vikings -14.5). There's enough data to suggest there are reasons for it, although I couldn't begin to guess what they are. Bottom line, we should win this game against a severely overmatched opponent. But I'll be holding my breath just a little.