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Week 7: Bills vs. Vikings
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Sunday, Oct. 19th
1:00pm ET
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The Bills came crashing back to earth on Sunday as they got their new era started against the same old Patriots with the same results they always get against the perennial division champs. The Vikings come to town looking to get back on track after losing their past two games.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (3-3) vs. Minnesota (2-4) |
| Place: |
Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| TV/Radio: |
Network: FOX; DirecTV: 706; Sirius: 139 |
| Announcers: |
Tim Brando, Brendan Ayanbadejo, & Peter Schrager |
| Spread: |
Bills by 4 |
| Series: |
Vikings Lead 8-4 |
| Streak: |
Vikings Won 1 |
| Last Meeting: |
Vikings 38-14 in Minnesota (2010) |
| Vikings Offense: |
Rush (13th); Pass (30th); overall (27th) |
| Vikings Defense: |
Rush (20th); Pass (6th); overall (8th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (22nd); Pass (19th); overall (25th) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (1st); Pass (26th); overall (11th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills are pretty healthy as we approached the midway portion of the season. Marcus Easley has missed three games with a sprained MCL. Ty Powell left the game early last week with an ankle injury. Both players are currently still sidelined and will likely miss the game. Aaron Williams hopes to return after missing last week's game with wrist and neck injuries. He is wearing a huge wrap on his wrist in practice.
The Vikings are still without TE Kyle Rudolph who had surgery for a sports hernia earlier in the season. LB Gerald Hodges and CB Jabari Price have missed practice time with hamstring injuries. DE Corey Wooten has a back problem. Defensive Tackles Sharrif Floyd and Linval Joseph have been limited this week as well with ankle injuries.
Check out our  Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.
KEY MATCHUPS
LT Cordy Glenn vs. DE Everson Griffen:
Glenn has been inconsistent this year after a stellar season last year. Griffen leads the way for the Vikings with four sacks on the season.
WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Captain Munnerlyn:
Watkins is under the microscope after being used as a decoy last week. He is due for a big game and the former Carolina Panther Munnerlyn is a solid corner who will try to contain him.
DE Jerry Hughes vs. LT Matt Kalil:
Hughes is having a fantastic season in his contract year and has been a disruptive force in the opponent backfield all season long. Kalil is having a tough season ranked near the bottom of all offensive tackles by Pro Football Focus. The three year player will be responsible for keeping Hughes away from the rookie QB.
DB Stephon Gilmore vs. WR Greg Jennings:
Gilmore is as close to a lockdown corner as the Bills have so he will likely be matched up with the Vikings leading receiver which is Jennings.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Hold On To The Football: They were 2nd in the league in turnover ratio until last week when they gave it away three times. They can control this game at home if they don't give the Vikings openings by turning the ball over.
2. Make Bridgewater Uncomfortable: The way to beat a rookie quarterback like Teddy Bridgewater is to get in his face and not let him get settled in the pocket. The Bills should be able to do that with the strength of their defensive line and the weakness of the Vikings offensive line. Bridgewater has been sacked once out of every 9.7 times he has dropped back to pass.
3. Score Quickly: The Bills have had the ball first all six games this year and have had to punt the ball away each time. If they can score the first time they touch the ball the crowd will go wild and help take the Vikings offense out of their game.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
If the Bills want to get mojo back on their side and stay in the playoff race for the long run than they have to win this game against a presumed weaker opponent. Look for the defense to be fired up to bounce back from their worst performance of the year and the 12th man to make things rough for the rookie quarterback:
Bills 24, Vikings 13
Season Prediction Record: (1-5)
Season Record Against The Spread: (1-5)
Bills Blitz - Coming Sunday Night!
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