NFL Picks Week 2: 5 Keys to a Minnesota Vikings Home Win

The Vikings take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. Here's what the Vikings need to do to avoid slipping to 0-2.

1.  Get the passing offense on track:  I'm not expecting Donovan McNabb to put on a Tom Brady clinic, but he could borrow some things from Brady's Monday Night Football explosion. The Vikings have a pair of decent tight ends and an explosive slot receiver. Sounds a lot like a poor man's version of what Brady had cooking.

The Bucs allowed five catches for 58 yards and a score to Detroit tight ends last week.

2.  Win the turnover battle. I know it's a tall order when you're facing a team that ranked second in the NFC last year with 19 giveaways, but when you're facing a better team you have to win that aspect of the game. Josh Freeman threw a rare pick last week and the Bucs put four balls on the carpet, losing one. 

3.  Cut down on the penalties. The Vikings were flagged nine times for 78 yards in the opener. They had just 187 total yards in the game.

They can't keep shooting themselves in the foot.

4.   Slow the Bucs' ground game. The Bucs running backs managed just 28 yards on 11 carries in their opener for a paltry 2.5 yards per carry. They were rendered one-dimensional (46 pass attempts, 16 carries) not because they were playing catch up, but because they were struggling in the ground game. If they can slow LeGarrette Blount and company, the Vikings stand a better chance to knock off the Bucs.

5.  Come out hungry. The loser of this team falls to 0-2. Considering the NFC North and NFC South are two of the toughest divisions in football, it's a huge hole to slip into.

If the Vikings can get out to an early lead they can keep the crowd into the game.  

Ryan Lester is the founder and lead writer for LestersLegends.com, a source for fantasy football, baseball, and basketball information. He is also the Vikings' Fan Voice writer at NFLtouchdown.com. Click here to see my 2011 Week 2 fantasy football rankings.