Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants: Key Information and First Quarter Discussion
We are just half an hour away from kickoff at MetLife Stadium between the New York Giants and your Minnesota Vikings! It’s the first Open Thread of the year and we are officially open for business, so here’s everything you need to know about today’s game.
Date and Time: Sunday, 8 September 2024, noon Central time
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Television Coverage: KMSP-9 in the Twin Cities, FOX affiliates around the country, YouTube NFL Sunday Ticket
Radio Coverage: Vikings Radio Network, SiriusXM Channel 387 (Vikings feed), SiriusXM App Channel 820
Line: Vikings -1.5, Over/Under 41.5
Chris’ Prediction: Vikings 24, Giants 20
Three Keys
1) Keep Sam Darnold upright – The Giants’ front seven, featuring Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns has the ability to cause nightmares for the Vikings’ offense. Darnold has plenty of weapons to work with in this offense, but if he’s running for his life he won’t be able to take advantage of them. If the Vikings can give him a clean pocket he should be able to make some plays against a suspect Giants secondary.
2) Mistake-free football – In the early part of last season, the Vikings simply could not hang onto the football, whether it was fumbling it away or throwing interceptions, and you could argue that it cost them a number of games in that early slate. The Vikings don’t have a lot of margin for error, and if they can be on the positive side of the plus-minus ratio it will go a long way towards their success.
3) Get pressure on Daniel Jones – The last time Daniel Jones saw the Vikings, he put on a performance that got him a fat new contract extension in New York. However, this is a completely different defense, and hopefully Brian Flores and all the new faces this team has brought in on that side of the ball can make things rough for him this afternoon.
Know the Foe: Big Blue View
Twitter: @DailyNorseman
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That should be everything you need to be up to speed on this one, folks. Remember that a new Open Thread starts at the beginning of each quarter, so keep your eyes open for those and move the discussion along accordingly.
Enjoy the game, folks, and hopefully when it’s all said and done in about three hours we’ll all be able to bask in the glory of being 1-0 to start the season.
SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!
Minnesota
Driver who fatally struck bicyclist in Minneapolis may have been impaired, police say
Minneapolis police suspect a driver was under the influence when he hit and killed a bicyclist on the city’s southside early Monday morning.
Officers responded to the crash at the intersection of Hiawatha Avenue and East 35th Street around 3 a.m., according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
Upon arrival, police found a man in his 50s suffering from apparent life-threatening injuries. Officers provided immediate medical aid, including CPR, before the man was transported to Hennepin Healthcare, where he later died.
The Minneapolis Police Department says that preliminary information indicates the driver, a 23-year-old man, had been traveling south on Hiawatha Avenue in a Ford Edge when he struck the bicyclist.
Officers arrested the driver and took him to the hospital, where police say “a search warrant for evidence collection was carried out.” Police later booked the driver into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide.
The incident is still under investigation.
Minnesota
I-94 rest area in Minnesota closed until Independence Day for $2.9M improvement project
A rest area along Interstate 94 in Minnesota has been closed to trucks until about Independence Day to accommodate an almost $3 million improvement project.
The eastbound I-94 Enfield rest area between St. Cloud, Minnesota and the Twin Cities between Wright County Road 8 and Highway 25 is now closed to cars and commercial vehicles as crews resurface the entrance and exit ramps, and update nearby sidewalks.
According to KNSI, the full closure is just the first phase of the project. The rest area will reopen to passenger vehicles only the week of May 11th. During that time, the truck parking area will remain closed as crews repave the lot.
The truck parking lot will reopen the week of June 30th, right around Independence Day. During that time, the passenger vehicle area will be shut down to allow for the resurfacing of the lot. The Minnesota DOT expects the rest area to be fully open by late July. The entire project is expected to cost $2.9 million.
Drivers heading east on I-94 are encouraged to use the Big Spunk Lake rest area near Avon, or to drive a little farther out to the Elm Creek rest area.
Minnesota
UCLA baseball remains perfect in Big Ten by beating Minnesota
Could a UCLA baseball team that’s perfect in Big Ten play get better?
Bruins coach John Savage thinks so, which is a frightening prospect for the rest of a seemingly overmatched conference.
While Savage’s top-ranked Bruins completed a three-game sweep of Minnesota on Sunday with a 5-2 victory at Jackie Robinson Stadium — stretching their Big Ten winning streak to 21 games — he said there’s more upside to be realized.
“Offensively, we just really couldn’t get a lot going,” Savage said after his team went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six baserunners. “We just weren’t able to put a lot together, but when that pitching and defense shows up every day, it gives yourself a chance to win, and that’s kind of what we did all three games, really.”
Those elements were so good Sunday that they overshadowed Roman Martin’s solo homer in the third inning and Will Gasparino’s two-run shot in the sixth.
Bruins left fielder Dean West made three superb catches — two leaping and one diving — and four relievers combined to give up only one run in 4 ⅔ innings. Closer Easton Hawk needed only six pitches to record a 1-2-3 ninth inning while notching his third save in as many days.
Savage credited Minnesota’s pitching after the Golden Gophers (22-17 overall, 5-13 Big Ten) held the Bruins (36-3) to an average of five runs during the series and said many of his team’s offensive struggles were situational.
“We have very, very good offensive players — some of them are in … little ruts right now, but that’s OK,” Savage said. “These guys play a lot and get a lot of at-bats; there’s a lot of ups and downs.”
When it comes to UCLA’s conference record, it’s all been up.
What it means
UCLA’s sweep is further evidence that the Bruins aren’t getting complacent because of their record.
“This culture is really solid, and these guys truly believe in one another and they’re playing for the team,” Savage said. “We’re very fortunate to have this group, and so they love playing together, so there’s no complacency and there’s no reason to because we haven’t done anything; I mean, you’re 36-3, that’s great, but at the end of the day it’s about getting better and playing your best baseball the next 75 days.”
Turning point
Spotting a dominant team an early lead is never a good idea.
That’s what happened when the Bruins struck for two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
West led off with a single to center field, took third on Roch Cholowsky’s double to left and scored on a balk. With one out, Martin hit an RBI infield single off the pitcher’s glove. UCLA was up 2-0, and the Golden Gophers could never catch up.
Did you see that?
Minnesota did not like it when Gasparino admired his home run by lingering in the batter’s box before commencing his trot around the bases.
There was consensus in both dugouts because Savage also didn’t care for it.
“I thought he probably stayed in the box a little too long for me,” Savage said. “That’s kind of not who we are, and they didn’t like that; I wouldn’t like that either, really.”
MVP
West saved multiple extra-base hits with his catches.
Which was his favorite?
“Probably the diving one,” West said. “I think that was the coolest one. I got to leave my feet and make a play on it.”
Up next
The Bruins will open a five-game stretch of nonconference games when they host Hawaii on Tuesday evening at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
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