Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

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Falcons34
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Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by Falcons34 »

What are some of the biggest storylines of this game and how do you think the teams matchup
SP1966
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by SP1966 »

You go first.
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by Falcons34 »

SP1966 wrote:You go first.
Ok the first biggest storyline I see is how will the Vikings cover Julio 2) I think how will the Falcons offense try to handle the Vikings defense. 3) Will people see this as a potential playoff preview if they do meet in the playoffs 4) The health of the Falcons secondary 5) Whose defensive line will be more dominant and likely to impose their will Who has the better matchup at each position


I think this will be a tough game for both teams, hope its a good game with no injuries no matter who wins.
J. Kapp 11
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by J. Kapp 11 »

I'm certainly no expert on your team, so I'll do my best to fill you in on ours while hopefully addressing some of your questions.

How will the Vikings will cover Julio Jones? That's a great question, and I have a solid answer. His name is Xavier Rhodes, probably the top cover corner in the NFL.

Rhodes is especially good against big receivers because HE is a big, fast, long cornerback with exceptional technique. He's great both at jamming receivers and playing zone. He's also a true cover corner in that he will follow the opposition's best receiver no matter where he lines up. Of course, Rhodes will HAVE to be good because Jones is as fine a receiver as there is in the game, and one of the best ever. Rhodes will certainly have to be better than he was last week against the Lions, when another Jones had a nice game against him -- the first wide receiver all year (and maybe in the past two years) to have any success against Rhodes. The refs were particularly hard on Rhodes last week, but he still didn't have his usual shutdown game, possibly because of the short week. If anybody can handle Julio Jones, it's Rhodes. At the same time, if anybody can beat Xavier, it's Julio Jones. This will be a fantastic matchup, probably the best of the weekend in the NFL. A real dogfight between two consummate pros.

Not sure what the Falcons will try to do against the Vikings' defense. You probably would know that better than we would. I can tell you that our D has been really tough. Of course, any NFL fan with a pulse knows that. Detroit put up 23 on us, but they got a lot of help from the officials. Overall, we're tough to move the ball on, and tough to score on. The Vikings have held 7 of their last 8 opponents to less than 300 yards total offense, and that includes the high-flying L.A. Rams, who were only able to score 7 against us. You guys generally run the ball fairly well -- 9th in the NFL -- but we stop the run with just 75.5 YPG and 3.4 YPA, good for 2nd in the NFL. I would think you'll need to get something going on the ground, even if it's not a lot, so that you can slow down the Vikings' pass rush and hold the linebackers with play-action. We've "only" got 30 sacks, but I believe we lead the league in pressures, according to PFF. Third down will be key for you guys. The Vikings lead the league in third-down conversions against at just 30%, while you guys are 1st offensively at 48%. I would expect you to convert more than 30% at home, but if we can hold you below your average, that bodes well for our defense. Matt Ryan has been really good the past five weeks. Even though you guys don't give up many sacks, we'll need to get pressure on him and get him off his spot.

Offensively, I like our chances to move the ball and put up points against your defense. If there's any quarterback in the league who's as hot as Ryan, it's Case Keenum. Don't laugh. This guy has been lighting it up over the past three weeks, hitting 71% of his passes at almost 9 yards per attempt and a QBR of 114. He's converting 54% of third downs and has led the Vikings to touchdowns on 12 of his last 14 trips to the red zone. Hard as it is for Vikings fans to believe, we're a top-10 offense, and we're trending better than that, with 400+ yards in each of our past 3 games and 30.2 points per game over the past month. You guys are pretty good defensively, although you're below average against the run. We're 6th in the league in rushing, so we may have the edge there. Of course, a lot of that depends on the score and game situation.

It's really interesting ... the pass defenses are almost identical statistically. Both teams have 30 sacks, neither team has a ton of interceptions (3 for you, 9 for us). Both are fairly stingy with yardage -- you're slightly better than us there. On paper, the passing game is a tossup.

As for our offense beyond Keenum, you will be surprised at how good Adam Thielen is. He lines up all over the field ... outside, in the slot ... and he just gets open. He doesn't look like he would beat you deep, but only Antonio Brown has more big plays this year. Thielen runs fantastic routes, he's got some length, he wins contested balls, and he's faster than he looks at a legitimate 4.4. The other wideout is Stefon Diggs. This 5th-rounder in his third season is very dynamic. He'll go along with some nice games and then all of a sudden go for 150 and 2 TDs. He's smaller than Thielen, a little faster, and just as good at winning 50-50 balls. He has a penchant for making spectacular plays. Kyle Rudolph, who had 83 receptions at tight end last year, is having another very solid season. If he gets his hands on it, he catches it, period. In the running game, the general consensus was that when Dalvin Cook went down for the season, the Vikings running game would fall apart. They've actually improved by a significant percentage. That's due mainly to the offensive line, which has been totally transformed from last year's line -- easily the league's worst -- to this year, perhaps the league's best. They run block, they pass block (only 12 sacks allowed, with 4 of those coming when Sam Bradford should have been in a wheelchair instead of playing quarterback against the Bears), and they're big enough to wear teams down. Your rush defense has been a bit suspect, so I believe we'll have an advantage here.

Turnovers are always an X-factor. Neither team has taken the ball away a ton. On paper, it's probably a tossup, but you just never know what's going to happen with turnovers.

I think you guys have us in the kicking game. We're a great coverage team, but your kicker, Matt Bryant, is just so solid. In fact, I'd say we're jealous of your kicker. We've had our issues for a good 3-4 years now. We thought maybe Kai Forbath had figured it out, hitting 22 of his first 23. But then he inexplicably shanked two against the Rams and had another blocked against Detroit. He's also missed FIVE extra points -- YIKES! Vikings fans hold their breath every time he lines up. If this game comes down to kicking, I'd bet money that you win.

Overall, this is a great matchup between two very good teams. I'm a little biased, but I think we're the best team in the NFC. I know the Eagles have a better record, but 9 of their 10 wins have come against sub-.500 teams. However, that certainly doesn't guarantee a win for us. Your Falcons are definitely a team on the rise, and we all need to remember that they had a 6-4 record last year -- same as this year -- before going on their Super Bowl run. The Falcons are favored by 3, which is exactly the margin of home-field advantage, so this game is a tossup. And it's a huge game for both teams. A win for Atlanta, and you're right there in the hunt for the NFC South title. A win for the Vikings, and they stay on the Eagles' heels for best record in the NFC. If we could somehow wrest the No. 1 seed from them, we'd have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, INCLUDING THE SUPER BOWL, should we make it that far. So we have huge incentive to win every single game.

Gonna be a great game. Can't wait to see what happens.
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jackal
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by jackal »

Yeah this could easily be a loss for us.
Atlanta seems to be playing well.

We did shut the Rams down, and the last
time we played you guys; at Atlanta
our defense really clamped down and we
won the game. That was probably Barr’s
best professional game. When he ran the
down the player and knocked the ball out.

I would rather see Atlanta win a championship
than a lot of other NFC teams(assuming
we don’t of course)

I hate the Saints, Seahawks and have
never like anyone I have personally met
from Philadelphia. So good luck to
you guys and I hope if it’s not us, please
Tom Brady cry like a little girl in February.
no one expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Falcons34
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by Falcons34 »

J. Kapp 11 wrote:I'm certainly no expert on your team, so I'll do my best to fill you in on ours while hopefully addressing some of your questions.

How will the Vikings will cover Julio Jones? That's a great question, and I have a solid answer. His name is Xavier Rhodes, probably the top cover corner in the NFL.

Rhodes is especially good against big receivers because HE is a big, fast, long cornerback with exceptional technique. He's great both at jamming receivers and playing zone. He's also a true cover corner in that he will follow the opposition's best receiver no matter where he lines up. Of course, Rhodes will HAVE to be good because Jones is as fine a receiver as there is in the game, and one of the best ever. Rhodes will certainly have to be better than he was last week against the Lions, when another Jones had a nice game against him -- the first wide receiver all year (and maybe in the past two years) to have any success against Rhodes. The refs were particularly hard on Rhodes last week, but he still didn't have his usual shutdown game, possibly because of the short week. If anybody can handle Julio Jones, it's Rhodes. At the same time, if anybody can beat Xavier, it's Julio Jones. This will be a fantastic matchup, probably the best of the weekend in the NFL. A real dogfight between two consummate pros.

Not sure what the Falcons will try to do against the Vikings' defense. You probably would know that better than we would. I can tell you that our D has been really tough. Of course, any NFL fan with a pulse knows that. Detroit put up 23 on us, but they got a lot of help from the officials. Overall, we're tough to move the ball on, and tough to score on. The Vikings have held 7 of their last 8 opponents to less than 300 yards total offense, and that includes the high-flying L.A. Rams, who were only able to score 7 against us. You guys generally run the ball fairly well -- 9th in the NFL -- but we stop the run with just 75.5 YPG and 3.4 YPA, good for 2nd in the NFL. I would think you'll need to get something going on the ground, even if it's not a lot, so that you can slow down the Vikings' pass rush and hold the linebackers with play-action. We've "only" got 30 sacks, but I believe we lead the league in pressures, according to PFF. Third down will be key for you guys. The Vikings lead the league in third-down conversions against at just 30%, while you guys are 1st offensively at 48%. I would expect you to convert more than 30% at home, but if we can hold you below your average, that bodes well for our defense. Matt Ryan has been really good the past five weeks. Even though you guys don't give up many sacks, we'll need to get pressure on him and get him off his spot.

Offensively, I like our chances to move the ball and put up points against your defense. If there's any quarterback in the league who's as hot as Ryan, it's Case Keenum. Don't laugh. This guy has been lighting it up over the past three weeks, hitting 71% of his passes at almost 9 yards per attempt and a QBR of 114. He's converting 54% of third downs and has led the Vikings to touchdowns on 12 of his last 14 trips to the red zone. Hard as it is for Vikings fans to believe, we're a top-10 offense, and we're trending better than that, with 400+ yards in each of our past 3 games and 30.2 points per game over the past month. You guys are pretty good defensively, although you're below average against the run. We're 6th in the league in rushing, so we may have the edge there. Of course, a lot of that depends on the score and game situation.

It's really interesting ... the pass defenses are almost identical statistically. Both teams have 30 sacks, neither team has a ton of interceptions (3 for you, 9 for us). Both are fairly stingy with yardage -- you're slightly better than us there. On paper, the passing game is a tossup.

As for our offense beyond Keenum, you will be surprised at how good Adam Thielen is. He lines up all over the field ... outside, in the slot ... and he just gets open. He doesn't look like he would beat you deep, but only Antonio Brown has more big plays this year. Thielen runs fantastic routes, he's got some length, he wins contested balls, and he's faster than he looks at a legitimate 4.4. The other wideout is Stefon Diggs. This 5th-rounder in his third season is very dynamic. He'll go along with some nice games and then all of a sudden go for 150 and 2 TDs. He's smaller than Thielen, a little faster, and just as good at winning 50-50 balls. He has a penchant for making spectacular plays. Kyle Rudolph, who had 83 receptions at tight end last year, is having another very solid season. If he gets his hands on it, he catches it, period. In the running game, the general consensus was that when Dalvin Cook went down for the season, the Vikings running game would fall apart. They've actually improved by a significant percentage. That's due mainly to the offensive line, which has been totally transformed from last year's line -- easily the league's worst -- to this year, perhaps the league's best. They run block, they pass block (only 12 sacks allowed, with 4 of those coming when Sam Bradford should have been in a wheelchair instead of playing quarterback against the Bears), and they're big enough to wear teams down. Your rush defense has been a bit suspect, so I believe we'll have an advantage here.

Turnovers are always an X-factor. Neither team has taken the ball away a ton. On paper, it's probably a tossup, but you just never know what's going to happen with turnovers.

I think you guys have us in the kicking game. We're a great coverage team, but your kicker, Matt Bryant, is just so solid. In fact, I'd say we're jealous of your kicker. We've had our issues for a good 3-4 years now. We thought maybe Kai Forbath had figured it out, hitting 22 of his first 23. But then he inexplicably shanked two against the Rams and had another blocked against Detroit. He's also missed FIVE extra points -- YIKES! Vikings fans hold their breath every time he lines up. If this game comes down to kicking, I'd bet money that you win.

Overall, this is a great matchup between two very good teams. I'm a little biased, but I think we're the best team in the NFC. I know the Eagles have a better record, but 9 of their 10 wins have come against sub-.500 teams. However, that certainly doesn't guarantee a win for us. Your Falcons are definitely a team on the rise, and we all need to remember that they had a 6-4 record last year -- same as this year -- before going on their Super Bowl run. The Falcons are favored by 3, which is exactly the margin of home-field advantage, so this game is a tossup. And it's a huge game for both teams. A win for Atlanta, and you're right there in the hunt for the NFC South title. A win for the Vikings, and they stay on the Eagles' heels for best record in the NFC. If we could somehow wrest the No. 1 seed from them, we'd have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, INCLUDING THE SUPER BOWL, should we make it that far. So we have huge incentive to win every single game.

Gonna be a great game. Can't wait to see what happens.
It will, I think the matchup that everyone wants to see with Rhodes and Jones won't be as big of a deal because I think the game will be won in other areas besides that matchup.
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by PacificNorseWest »

I'm not too worried about Rhodes on Jones. Julio will make some plays like he always does, but I think Zim can devise a good enough game plan to give help if/when needed.

I'm curious how the Vikings offense handles the defensive speed of Atlanta. Pittsburgh played fast, but this will be on turf and I don't think Minnesota has seen a defense this fast this season.

How quick Matt Ryan gets rid of the ball is worrisome too. Coverage needs to be on point. Hoping they get a ref that lets them play. :lol:
Last edited by PacificNorseWest on Wed Nov 29, 2017 1:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by VikingLord »

Key factors from my perspective:

- Home advantage for the Falcons is potentially significant. Ryan has the advantage of being able to change out of plays pre-snap without fighting excessive crowd noise.
- Falcons are solid defensively. If they have a weakness it is against the run. The Vikings will try to exploit that to both control the pace of the game as well as keep the fans sitting in their seats.
- A big key for the Viking defense will be getting pressure on Ryan. Ryan is a very good QB and he has very good receivers to throw it to. Putting him under consistent duress while rushing 4 is a key for the Vikings to disrupt the Falcon offense.
- Falcons will also look to take advantage of any errant throws by Keenum. Case has been very good over the last few weeks at not making costly mistakes in the passing game, but over his career he's had some issues with poor decisions that result in turnovers. If the Falcons can force that to happen once or twice, their odds of winning will go way up.

While I think the Vikings have been more consistent than the Falcons over the course of this season, the Falcons are capable of playing at a high level and beating pretty much anyone in the NFC if they're on. The Vikes will have to bring their best game to come out on top in this one.
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by DK Sweets »

VikingLord wrote:Key factors from my perspective:

- Home advantage for the Falcons is potentially significant. Ryan has the advantage of being able to change out of plays pre-snap without fighting excessive crowd noise.
To piggyback off of that, we have traveled really well this year. It's not going to be as easy to get as many tickets in Atlanta, which has an passionate fanbase and a new home.
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by Falcons34 »

VikingLord wrote:Key factors from my perspective:

- Home advantage for the Falcons is potentially significant. Ryan has the advantage of being able to change out of plays pre-snap without fighting excessive crowd noise.
- Falcons are solid defensively. If they have a weakness it is against the run. The Vikings will try to exploit that to both control the pace of the game as well as keep the fans sitting in their seats.
- A big key for the Viking defense will be getting pressure on Ryan. Ryan is a very good QB and he has very good receivers to throw it to. Putting him under consistent duress while rushing 4 is a key for the Vikings to disrupt the Falcon offense.
- Falcons will also look to take advantage of any errant throws by Keenum. Case has been very good over the last few weeks at not making costly mistakes in the passing game, but over his career he's had some issues with poor decisions that result in turnovers. If the Falcons can force that to happen once or twice, their odds of winning will go way up.

While I think the Vikings have been more consistent than the Falcons over the course of this season, the Falcons are capable of playing at a high level and beating pretty much anyone in the NFC if they're on. The Vikes will have to bring their best game to come out on top in this one.
Pressure on Matt Ryan is the key, if they give him time then.....
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

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J. Kapp 11
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by J. Kapp 11 »

Falcons34 wrote: Pressure on Matt Ryan is the key, if they give him time then.....
Stand by. The Vikings get pressure on EVERYONE. Ask Jared Goff. Ask Matthew Stafford. Ask Aaron Rodgers. Drew Brees. Everyone. Even when they lose ... they sacked Stafford 6 times. The Vikings don't always get home, but they get tons of pressure.
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by NCViking »

808vikingsfan wrote:TV maps

http://506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2017&wk=13
I'd been checking this all morning and then forgot about it. I live outside of Philly and was worried I was going to have to watch the Baltimore game. Looks like I get to watch us and then the Saints-Panthers game (very relevant for our seeding), so I'm pumped for this Sunday.
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by Crax »

808vikingsfan wrote:TV maps

http://506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2017&wk=13
Damn, I've been doing well so far this year getting Vikings games. I'm in the yellow this week, Denver always gets priority here.
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Re: Hey Vikings Fans...here to talk about the game on Sunday

Post by PurpleKoolaid »

Should be an evenly matched game. I dont expect Rhodes to give up more then 60 yards, so some of your members maybe should watch him a bit more before talking about him. I expect Theilen to end up with more yards.
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