Washington Redskins (1-6) at Minnesota Vikings (5-2)
Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Redskins’ keys to victory: Shut down Vikings RB Dalvin Cook and force former Redskins QB Kirk Cousins to make bad decisions. Vikings fans have gotten both sides of Cousins this season, but lately, he’s been on an absolute tear. Cousins has thrown for three-straight 300-yard games. If the Redskins want to come away with an upset, they’ll need Cousins to revert to the quarterback we saw earlier in the season.
Vikings’ keys to victory: Put pressure on former Vikings QB Case Keenum and force him into mistakes. This sounds easy considering Keenum’s struggles, but the Vikings have always struggled against running quarterbacks. Rookie WR Terry McLaurin has been a pleasant surprise for Washington as a third-round pick. He could be a problem for Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes, who has been inconsistent in 2019.
Match-up to watch: Redskins RB Adrian Peterson vs. Vikings defense. You know Peterson will be hungry going up against the team he played 10 seasons for. This Vikings defense has been dominant against the run this season, so the odds are stacked against Peterson. He played against the Vikings in Week 1 of the 2017 season as a member of the Saints. He ran six times for just 18 yards.
Who wins? The Vikings are better at every aspect of the game. It would be a huge upset if the Redskins came away with a win. Then again, Thursday night games have proven to be crazy over the years. Vikings 35, Redskins 10
