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Minnesota is ranked last in the league in pass defense, and if Collins has time to throw, he could be in for a big night. The key for preventing that is getting good pressure on Collins and coming up with an interception or two. The Vikings have a very opportunistic defense and lead the league with eight defensive scores, six of them on interception returns.
When the Vikings have the ball, the Skins can expect a steady diet of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor running it. No one has really stopped the Vikings' running game this year—the Packers are the only team to hold them to less than a hundred yards on the ground, and that was largely because they had a big lead on the Vikings, eventually blowing them out 34-0. Minnesota only ran 15 times that game and averaged 5.1 yards a carry.
In the last two games, the 49ers and Bears have gone to extreme lengths to stop the Vikings runners. The 49ers ran a ton of cornerback blitzes, but their cornerbacks are more physical than the Skins' are. It's not likely Washington would use the same approach. The Bears kept eight or nine men in the box and dared Jackson to beat them. With a safety like LaRon Landry, it's definitely more likely that the Skins would use that approach.
Jackson will again have opportunities to take advantage of the Skins overplaying the run. His ability to do so will go a long way towards deciding this game.
On special teams, the two teams are roughly even, although Viking punter Chris Kluwe has been having a great year and is second in the league with 31 punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line.
One key factor is turnovers. The Vikings are +9 in turnovers for the year, while the Skins are -2 and, as mentioned before, the Vikings lead the league with eight defensive scores.
This is a pretty even matchup between two teams on a roll, but the Vikings are favored by seven on their home field.
If the Redskins can jump out to a lead early they can make things tough on the Vikes, but overall the Vikings defense is too good and too opportunistic to let that happen.
In a tough fought game, the Vikings will win, 24-16.
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