We’re just a half hour away from kickoff at MetLife Stadium between the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings! It’s the first Open Thread of the year and we’re officially open for business, so here’s everything you need to know about today’s game.

Date and time: Sunday, September 8, 2024, 12:00 noon Central Time

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Television reporting: KMSP-9 in the Twin Cities, FOX affiliates nationwide, YouTube NFL Sunday Ticket

Radio reporting: Vikings Radio NetworkSiriusXM channel 387 (Vikings feed), SiriusXM app channel 820

Line: Vikings -1.5, Over/Under 41.5

Chris’ prediction: Vikings 24, Giants 20

Three keys

1) Keep Sam Darnold upright – The Giants front seven of Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns could create nightmares for the Vikings offense. Darnold has plenty of weapons to work with in this offense, but if he’s running for his life, he won’t be able to take advantage. If the Vikings can give him a clean pocket, he should be able to make some plays against a suspect Giants secondary.

2) Flawless football – Early last season, the Vikings just couldn’t hold onto the ball, whether it was throwing clearances or interceptions, and you could argue that cost them a few games in that early stretch. The Vikings don’t have much room for error, and being on the positive side of the plus-minus ratio will go a long way toward their success.

3) Put pressure on Daniel Jones – The last time Daniel Jones saw the Vikings, he put together a performance that earned him a big new contract extension in New York. This is a completely different defense, though, and hopefully Brian Flores and all the new faces this team has brought in on that side of the ball can give him a hard time this afternoon.

Know the enemy: Great Blue View

Twitter: @DailyNorseman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedailynorseman

That should be all you need to know about this topic, folks. Remember, a new Open Thread starts at the beginning of each quarter, so keep your eyes peeled for those topics and move the discussion accordingly.

Enjoy the game, people, and hopefully in three hours or so we can all enjoy the glorious 1-0 start to the season.

SCHOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!