After a 5-0 start to the season despite losing starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and starting running back Adrian Peterson, it seems the injuries are starting to catch up to the Minnesota Vikings. They have lost their last three games and face a Washington team trying to rebound from some particularly bad losses.
Vikings vs. Washington 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
The Vikings will try to halt a worrying skid against Washington on Sunday.
Sunday’s game will be carried on television on FOX, with a live stream available online via Sunday Ticket and Fox Sports GO. For the latter stream, login credentials from a television or satellite provider will be required in most cases. Dick Stockton, Chris Spielman, and Kristina Pink will be the announcing crew.
The Vikings own quality wins over teams like the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, but have fallen in three consecutive games, including two to NFC North rivals in the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. They first had a stranglehold on the division, but now they are fighting to remain in the running.
Of course, with five wins, they are still in a good position, but they need to win Sunday’s game, with rematches against their divisional rivals looming later in the season.
Washington is coming off a London game against the Cincinnati Bengals where they treated the English to a tie, probably to comfort them. Prior to that, they fell to the Lions as well, but were on a four-game winning streak before their own run of bad luck.
After early struggles, quarterback Kirk Cousins has settled into a somewhat mediocre rhythm under center for Washington. He's completed 215 of 321 passes (67 percent) for 2,454 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Washington needs him to get control of the turnovers.
His running game has been decent, if uninspiring. Matt Jones has 460 yards and a 4.6 yards-per-carry average with three touchdowns, with Chris Thompson following with 207 yards and a touchdown. Perhaps that's why head coach Jay Gruden has decided to start undrafted rookie Rob Kelley this week. Against the Bengals, Kelley rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Just about everyone mocked the Vikings when they reacted to Bridgewater's injury by trading a first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Sam Bradford. And thus far, Bradford has made those people eat their words, even if his play hasn't been out-of-this-world good.
He’ll get another chance to shine against Washington. Here’s all you need to know for Sunday’s game.
How to Watch Vikings vs. Washington on Sunday
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: FedEx Field, Landover, Md.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Dick Stockton, Chris Spielman, Kristina Pink
Online Streaming: Sunday Ticket, Fox Sports GO
Three big things to know
1. The Bradford trade has been a good one. Bradford has completed 166 of 243 passes (68.3 percent) for 1,715 yards with nine touchdowns and an interception. Bradford has been much better at protecting the football this year than he ever has during his career, but he also doesn’t throw for a ton of yardage and is consistently missing opportunities in the red zone. So while he’s not throwing as many interceptions as some starting quarterbacks, he’s also not throwing as many touchdowns.
2. Turnover differential is key. Bradford doesn’t turn the ball over, but Cousins does. Minnesota has a plus-12 turnover differential on the season, while Washington is minus-1, tied for 17th in the league with two other teams.
3. The Vikings need the running game to get going. The running game has been particularly poor for the Vikings. Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon both have barely over 200 yards and per-carry averages of 3.2 and 3.0 yards, respectively. The Vikings desperately need Adrian Peterson back sooner rather than later.
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