Good Morning!Hope your weekend has started off with abang and you’re as excited about the game on Sunday as I am.I’ll miss this game live as I’ll be working but I’ll follow the game thread and have the DVR setup to watch later this week.My weekend plans include working Kirk Cousins Jersey , what are you doing this weekend?In the meantime while we’re waiting for the next Vikings game to start we’ll continue with our news and links full of beer recommendations, nap strategies, crock pot and smoker recipes. Have another cup of coffee and drop by for some fan wisdom, snark and a virtual donut. With that, let’s do this beat the Dolphins!Around the DN since our last thread:Chris and Eric have a spot where you can keep up to date on all the Vikings-Dolphins news.Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings: Final injury reports for both teams from Chris.Norse Code Podcast Episode 264: The Inconvenient Truth featuring Phinsider Radio hosted by Arif, James, and the guys from Phinsider radio.Welcome Aboard!Vikings news from other sources:From Vikings.com Head Coach Mike Zimmeraddressed the media from the TCO Performance Center on Friday, subjects included helping Stefanski prepare for Sunday, Miami’s pass rushers and more.Notebook: Dalvin Cook’s bond with Frank Gore a ‘Miami thing.’The Skinny Post: Vikings return home to begin a three game sprint for a postseason berth.What’d They Say: Dolphins talk about Vikings.NFL.com reporter Tom Pelissero talked to Wobby on what to expect from the Dolphins, Stefanski leading the offense, and the NFC playoff picture.At 1500epsn Matthew Coller explains how HC Mike Zimmer is helping his new offensive coordinator prepare for his debut.Also from Matthew, the Miami defense should give the Vikings a chance to bounce back on offense.NFC North Roundup:At Windy City Gridiron they note Matt Nagy named AP writers’ Coach of the Year so far.How to watch Bears vs. Packers: Will Green Bay get flagged for holding Mack? Ummm, no.From Pride of Detroit the Detroit Lions - Buffalo Bills injury report: 4 starters out Linval Joseph Jersey , Stafford questionable, but plans on playing.The Cheat Sheet: Lions can’t let the Bills Josh Allen beat them with his legs.Over at Acme Packing Company the Packers fans confidence in the disappointing Packers inches upwards after win over the Falcons.Packers vs. Bears Q&A: A look at Vic Fangio’s head-coaching prospects.League news: Consistent with the weekend news and links I’ll post league news in the comments.We come to today’s media selection: Metallica - For Whom The Bell TollsAgain, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:-No discussion of politics or religion-No feeding of the trolls-This isn’t a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the door-Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)-Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags-No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer-If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away-While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm.With that, the beer light is on and the bar is open. Belly up & tie one on. Don’t forget to tip your waitress, try the venison chili and as always, Welcome Aboard and Skol Vikings!Vikings: Studs and duds against the Packers That Vikings Kyle Rudolph Jersey , Packers game was filled with so many emotions from start to finish. There were times during that game when I didn’t even know how to feel. I was in disbelief at times and at others I thought I needed to borrow my grandma’s oxygen tank. A tie is a tie. People will say it’s better than a loss, but when it’s to one of the team’s most hated rivals, it might as well be a loss. Also, is there any other sport that ends in a tie? Can we change something about this? No game should ever end in a tie, especially when a league is set-up where you only play a 16-game regular-season. That’s just my thought about that. For the most part, it’s pretty obvious who the two duds were during the game against the packers, so let’s just get the two out of the way now. Two duds for the Vikings: Daniel CarlsonThe kicker, man. Yet again, another kicker issue, when will the Vikings catch a break? Minnesota probably has one of the best all-around teams in the league. Without a kicker who can make a field goal, the circle can’t be complete.Carlson managed to nail all three extra point attempts, which is about 33 yards, but couldn’t put the pigskin between the uprights when he was kicking for three. He missed 49 Everson Griffen Jersey , 48 and 35-yard field goals, throughout the game. Each field goal went into the same area?Wide right. He made a 48-yarder last week against San Francisco. Was it the pressure at Lambeau? Was it because of the grass field? When it comes to kicking I feel like it’s more to do with your psyche than it is your physical ability, but that’s just my thought process. It was good seeing his teammates back him up and not throw him under the bus, though. Laquon TreadwellHe had a great start to the day. He caught what would be the first touchdown of the day for the Vikings and his career, but had a rough outing after that. Treadwell could benefit significantly in terms of production with most of the coverage in the direction of Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.You seen that on Sunday when Cousins found Treadwell several times open for a pass. Cousins put the ball right in his hands, but Treadwell just couldn’t hang on?To almost any of them. He was targeted six times and only caught two passes for 23 yards. Cousins will throw the ball to whoever is open, if that open person can’t catch the ball, then he’s not doing his job. If someone can’t do their job, why should they have one? Everyone has been waiting for Treadwell to emerge as the receiver that everyone thought he would become, but maybe he really is a bust. Two Studs for the Vikings: Kirk Cousins:Hey! We got ourselves a quarterback! No Vikings quarterback since Daunte Culpepper (2004) has thrown for over 400 yards (I lied, it was Brett Favre against the Arizona Cardinals in 2010). Check that, because Cousins did just that on Sunday. He completed 35-of-48 passes for 425 yards and four touchdowns, throwing only one interception. Three of the four touchdowns came in the fourth quarter Anthony Barr Jersey , where the Vikings offense put up 22 points. The way he led the charge in the fourth quarter proved how poised he can be in situations like the one he was in on Sunday. Cousins seems like a true leader who doesn’t give up on his teammates. He fed the ball to Treadwell six times, despite his troubles catching the ball. I even caught Cousins talking to Treadwell after one of his key misses. He knows how to pick the team up when their down and that’s special to me. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs I have to give it to both of them, I can’t choose one or the other. The ability that these two have to make plays are unreal. The two are so entertaining to watch, especially when it’s a game that comes down to the wire. I’m not going to lie, Diggs and Thielen left me speechless a few times, I was blown away.. Both receivers each racked up over 100 receiving yards. Thielen managed 131 yards off of 12 catches. He also caught what was a spectacular game-tying touchdown pass. Diggs had an impressive day as well. He caught nine passes for 128 yards, he managed around 14 yards a catch. He also caught two touchdown passes, including this one: This is Thielen’s second game with at least 100 yards receiving. Diggs bounced back from only having three catches off of six targets last week.