Cleveland Browns-Minnesota Vikings Preview: Key Matchups To Watch

Finally the 2009 regular season begins for the Cleveland Browns with a home opener at Cleveland Browns Stadium for an unprecedented 11th straight year.

As the Minnesota Viking roll into town with their main circus attraction which is Brett Favre, they are a few other key matchups to watch out for during this Sunday's game.

RB Adrian Peterson vs All 11 Browns Defenders

Peterson is easily the most exciting player in the NFL today, and is easily in the top 10 for the best overall player in the NFL too, and the Browns know this.

Everyone in the NFL whether it's fans, players, coaches, so-called experts, or analysts know that the Browns run defense has been horrid since they came back into the league in 1999, but it is up to defensive coordinator (and offspring of one of the best defensive minds ever, Buddy Ryan) Rob Ryan to get the Browns unit prepped for Peterson.

Rumors have circled that Ryan will be using some of the 4-6 defensive scheme his father made so popular, but an aggressive attacking defense is needed to compete not only in the AFC North, but in the NFL in general.

Hopefully, the 2009 Browns defense will take a cue from Ryan's own personal "pirate-look" appearance and incorporate that demeanor into their play.

DE Jared Allen vs LT Joe Thomas

Pro Bowler vs. Pro Bowler.

That's is going to be an exciting matchup all game long.

Will Thomas continue his domination of the other teams' best pass rusher?

Let's hope so, otherwise it will be a long opener for new Browns starting quarterback Brady Quinn.

Brady Quinn vs The Pressure of Starting and the Die-Hard Browns Fans

Quinn has reportedly been named that starter so we will go with that report.

He will have a tough first game against one of the NFL's best overall defenses and in order to successfully move the Browns offense down the field and score points, Quinn will need to study his butt off and watch a ton of tape so he can make the proper decisions at pre-snap and make adjustments accordingly.

His biggest challenge will be to perform in front of 73,000+ fans that have been dying to see him start this year and will be looking for Quinn to make some magic behind center in 2009.

The pressure will be the greatest for Quinn in the game since it is the first game of the season and his first official opener as the Browns starting quarterback.

The Browns Running Backs vs The Williams' Brick Wall

With the exception of rookie running back James Davis, the Browns' running back have had a bad preseason. Jerome Harrison has been hurt most of the time and starter Jamal Lewis has averaged less than 3.0 yards per carry.

Lewis will start and Harrison is questionable, which leaves the Browns with a aging starter and a rookie to shoulder most of the load with the rushing attack.

Oh, and they have to run against a 600+ pound wall named Williams.

Lewis is more than capable is attaining those hard to get short yards, but Davis needs to get the ball in his hands and run it outside of the tackle box to pick up good yardage.

Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll versus Being a First-Time Coordinator

Hopefully rookie offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, can devise a game plan that includes a good mix of pass and a running game that will keep the defense on their toes to keep pressure off of Quinn during the game.

But please don't be too conservative in your play-calling and let Quinn show off his arm and throw downfield a few times, too.

Brett Favre versus Eric Mangini

This is like one of those battles where the announcer would start off by saying, "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday..." like in those monster truck commercials.

Favre and Mangini have a unique pass together seeing as how Jets upper management pressured Mangini into agreeing to take on Favre last year, Mangini dealt with that pressure and got the team to a good start, but then Jet management supposedly told Mangini that they still wanted Favre to play even though he was hurt, and the team fell apart in the last five games of 2008 causing Mangini to get fired.

Regardless of who is really to blame for the downfall of the Jets last year, Mangini v. Favre is one of the match-ups that make the weekly drama of the NFL so very entertaining!

Game prediction: Browns 28 Viking 24, in a very competitive game with a few big plays and all in all just a fun game to watch to open the regular season.

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper: An Unofficial Cleveland Browns News Source)