Week 3: Buccaneers (1-0) at VIKINGS (1-1)

[swede700]

Game 3

at 

 

When:  12:00 PM CDT September 24th

Where: U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN)

TV/Radio: FOX (TV), KFAN 100.3 (Radio);

Announcers: Thom Brennaman, Rick Spielman's bro

Coverage Map Link:  http://506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2017&wk=3

Notable Injuries:

Vikings - Questionable: None, Doubtful: None, Out: QB Sam Bradford (knee)

Buccaneers - Questionable: G/T Kevin Pamphile (illness), DT Gerald McCoy (ankle), LB Devante Bond (knee), CB Brent Grimes (shoulder), Doubtful: DE Jacquies Smith (illness), DT Chris Baker (illness), Out: LB Kwon Alexander (hamstring)

Please keep all discussion about the game here.

[SteelKing728]

We need Bradford back for this game if we are to win.

I expect Tampa Bay and Minnesota to fight all year for playoff spots. This game is incredibly important.

Being at home and we seem to match up well. I like our chances.

Will our coaching staff consider benching Waynes eventually for Brock if he continues to play poorly?

[SemperFeist]

Bradford needs to play for the Vikings to win. 

[CriminalMind]

2 minutes ago, SemperFeist said:

Bradford needs to play for the Vikings to win. 

 

[vikingsrule]

Could be an ugly game if Bradford doesn't play. I don't trust this defense to keep the Bucs under 25 points if the offense isn't sustaining drives.

[VikeManDan]

How is Tampa's OL? Be nice for our pass rush to get home a few times.

[vikesfan89]

2 hours ago, SteelKing728 said:

We need Bradford back for this game if we are to win.

I expect Tampa Bay and Minnesota to fight all year for playoff spots. This game is incredibly important.

Being at home and we seem to match up well. I like our chances.

Will our coaching staff consider benching Waynes eventually for Brock if he continues to play poorly?

I could them splitting reps at some point. I wonder if the would go with 6cbs on game day or if Newnan or Alexander would be inactive

[Klomp]

1 hour ago, vikingsrule said:

Could be an ugly game if Bradford doesn't play. I don't trust this defense to keep the Bucs under 25 points if the offense isn't sustaining drives.

You don't trust this defense? That seems crazy to me.

Big difference between yesterday's game and this week's game: we're at home. This team just doesn't give up loads of points, and especially not at home. Home-field advantage matters.

[Bermuda Viking]

If Bradford doesnt play Tampa will stack the box and simultaneously stifle the run and the pass with max protect on every series leaving few wr options.  Remmers can be bullrushed easilly in these scenarios and we will see Keenum in the turf.

The defense with help from the crowd should get a couple turnovers from Jameis which will lead to a win with Bradford back but likely not without him.

Id like to see Cooks first TD this week at home!

 

[AP_allday2869]

To go on what everyone else is saying, if we get Brock this week that will help tremendously. That will allow Rhodes to shadow Evans, and have Waynes not get totally embarrassed.

[Bermuda Viking]

Pelissero reports that Bradford has a bone bruise.  http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/09/18/report-sam-bradford-believed-to-have-bone-bruise/

Pain management anyone?

[gopherwrestler]

Whats going to be huge is making a play on one of Jameis's erratic throws. In the last two games combined he has had 23% of his passes be "off target". Turnovers could be a really big deal in this game. We have yet to have one so far this year.

Our weakness's will be tested this week. One is the running game, which we have been decent for the most part this year. If we can force them tho have to throw the ball our defense will be alright, and I really do believe that. Rhodes if he stays healthy should match up well with Evans, and Jackson while being quick I don't end up seeing him take over the game. The weakness I am looking at the most heavily for our defense is the TE situation. For some reason the past two years TE's have been able to make thing happen against us. Barr is playing at a fairly decent level right now and had a good last couple of games, but with Howard and Brate, we will have to either see Sendejo or Kendricks also step up against the TE's.

For the offense, lets just hope Bradford plays. Bradford is smart, he is good at getting rid of the ball with pressure, and is more of a play maker than Case. Watching back the game, I honestly even gave Case too much credit. He did play very bad. Not that he lost the game for us, but he did miss so many wide open receivers. While we hate seeing the short passes from this team, at least Bradford is putting most of his throws on the money and has a arm to make some of the tight window throws. Case was all over the place and made the offensive line worse than it actually was.

Cook is bound to break one of his runs one of these times. He is about 1 broken tackle away from hearing HE IS LOOSE on about 1 out of 5 of his run. It will happen.

If Bradford is in, we should be able to see him pick apart Hargreaves depending on if Thielen or Diggs is covered by Grimes. Hargreaves has struggled against great route running, so hopefully one of these two can have a huge game.

[gopherwrestler]

2 minutes ago, Bermuda Viking said:

Pelissero reports that Bradford has a bone bruise.  http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/09/18/report-sam-bradford-believed-to-have-bone-bruise/

Pain management anyone?

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Bradford is believed to have a bone bruise and that he will have an injection in his knee this week

I'm giving him a 95% chance on playing.

He must been doing okay, and tested it and the staff decided a non-conference game wasn't worth making an injury to Bradford any worse. Case thought Bradford was playing, Sloter thought Bradford would play, and Murray said Staff and and Bradford and high spirits in meeting today.

Most of the time when you get that injection in your knee, it helps with the swelling, and makes mobility a lot better. Been thru it quite a few times. Unless it really is worse than what is being put out there hard to imagine he won't be able to go.

[gopherwrestler]

Seems like Dr. David J Chao seems to disagree with me about the bone bruise situation. Kind of

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/profootballdoc/sd-sp-pfd-bradford-bone-bruise-vikings-0918-story.html

Quote

 

If his pain and inability to straighten his knee is from a bone bruise, that changes things.

It will heal in time, but it is going to be multiple weeks — easily even six weeks or longer depending on the location or severity.

Draining the knee or injections will not help.

 

Time is the only thing that will allow Bradford to get back on the field to continue what had seemed such a promising start to his season.

 

I do disagree with the injection part mostly tho. It will help, but it is not going to make his knee 100%. I've had them done, and it does make it feel a lot better, and did help with swelling.

 

I do expect tho, if he went out to go stretch, try and play, and some of the players thought he would play, I wouldn't expect it to be too "severe".

 

Yet again, this is my speculation. Just like Dr. Chao, we both don't know exactly "how bad it is".

[vikingsrule]

2 hours ago, Klomp said:

You don't trust this defense? That seems crazy to me.

Big difference between yesterday's game and this week's game: we're at home. This team just doesn't give up loads of points, and especially not at home. Home-field advantage matters.

Bucs offense scares me. I think they are a better offensive unit than New Orleans. If MNs offense can't get the run game going and pints too frequently, I think the defense will have some struggles. I'm worried about Trae Waynes in this game, he's been beat deep or gives up long PI too often and Tampa has some good WRs who can get downfield.

huge test for the defense. the offense has to be able to sustain drives to keep Winston off the field. 

If Bradford plays, I think it will be a competitive game. If he doesn't play, I think we see another 27-10 type defeat.