If you read what all of the 'experts' think about this Sunday's matchup, you will probably come away thinking that the Dolphins will lose by 10 or more points. Personally, I think the Dolphins are in for a long game. Whether its Brett Favre throwing, Adrian Peterson running or the stout Vikings defensive front, I think the Phins will have to bring their A game to have a chance at pulling this one out. Below are the Phin Nation keys to the game:
Key #1 -Win Turnover Battle
This goes without saying, but it is especially crucial in this game. First, you don't want the Phins offense giving the talented Vikings a short field to work with. It will be hard enough to contain Peterson/Favre on a long field. This comes down to Chad Henne, taking his shots, but making sure they are calculated. I think the Dolphins will force a fumble by Peterson, or a pick or 2 by Favre, but they can't turn the ball over themselves.
Key #2 - Run Ricky and Ronnie
Pound the ball. Stay with the run. We saw the Baltimore Ravens run for a 1.3 avg/carry against the Jets on Monday night. BUT, the threat of the run opened up some of the bigger throws that Flacco made. The Minnesota run defense is stout, but the Dolphins must keep running the ball, even if it's not effective. Every once in a while, taking a shot at throwing on 1st down would help keep defenders out of the box. It is crucial, however that the Vikings are aware that Ricky and Ronnie are a threat at anytime.
Key #3 - Pressure Favre
We saw it last year in the NFC Championship game, harassing Favre works. I believe Peterson will get his 90-100 yards on the ground, which the Phins could live with. But if they can harass, disrupt, and hit Favre, he will turn the ball over. He's not as mobile as he used to be and his receiving core isn't what it was last year. Mike Nolan must come up with schemes to get pressure on Favre every time he drops back to pass.
Hopefully, the Phins can do all 3 of these things and put up a W. How nice would it be to have the 2-0 Phins taking on the loudmouth, 0-2 Jets next week?!
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