Vikings Message Board.Com

Purple bruise wrote:

Purple bruise wrote:This started with your comment:
" Bottom line I think they have more tricks up their sleeve than the Viks. Hope that is not the difference maker".
I responded that good teams do not rely on trick plays to win games. The Meaning was that good teams do not lose games because other teams have more trick plays nor do good teams rely on trick plays to win. And then your buddy added all the rest. So I will try and control my weeping...thank you.

27. St. Louis Rams (25th)
Pass blocking rank: 25th

Run blocking rank: 28th

Penalties rank: 28th

Stud: First-year player Rob Havenstein (73.1) doesn’t look like a rookie.

Dud: Sophomore Greg Robinson (34.4) does look like a rookie.

Summary: There’s some talent on this offense, but this line is making them really max it out with their up and down efforts. We mentioned Robinson as the dud, but it’s a worry that he doesn’t seem to be progressing.

14. Minnesota Vikings (15th)
Pass blocking rank: 14th

Run blocking rank: 17th

Penalties rank: T-8th

Stud: Nobody expected Joe Berger (83.1) to fill in for John Sullivan so well, but he has.

Dud: A disappointing year for Brandon Fusco (44.5) who has given up way too much pressure by his own high standards.

Summary: There’s been an improvement in Matt Kalil (54., which has been good to see, but no real standout performances. That said, they’ve done a lot better than expected, given how they’ve coped without two lynchpins on the line.

Raptorman wrote:Everyone keeps talking about the defense's and Gurley vs. Peterson. What this game may end up being about is the QB's. I mean if all else is even, who do you want throwing the ball? Very few people are talking about how the offense's of these teams might play.

J. Kapp 11 wrote:This game comes down to the Vikings offense being able to finish drives.

We can move the ball between the 20s. We even moved the ball against Denver. We just have trouble scoring. Defensively, we've given up fewer than 20 points four times in seven games, so there's no reason to believe the Rams, whose offense also struggles to score, will put up more than 20 on the road.

If we can finish a couple of drives, we'll win. If we're constantly kicking field goals, we'll probably go down.

And let's not overlook special teams. The Viking have scored 9 special teams TDs since Mike Priefer became ST coordinator.

Here's how the numbers breakdown using the Football Power Index and the game predictor model:

Entering Sunday's game, the Vikings and Rams have the sixth and seventh-best chances of making the playoffs in the NFC. Of course, only six teams qualify for the postseason, so that would mean they're essentially jockeying for the final spot as we hit the halfway point of the season.

As of Wednesday morning, FPI projects the 5-2 Vikings to have a 45 percent chance to make the playoffs. If Minnesota beats the Rams, that number jumps to roughly 59 percent. If the Vikings lose, it drops to approximately 27 percent.

The Rams currently sit with a 36 percent chance to make the playoffs but, like the Vikings, their numbers will change dramatically regardless of outcome. If the Rams win, the playoff probability improves to about 54 percent while a loss would mean a dip to about 21 percent.

So given all of that, which team does FPI view as the favorite on Sunday? That would be Minnesota, though not by much. FPI gives Minnesota a 56 percent chance to win with a projected point differential of just two. In other words, it's closer to a pick 'em.