’Skins-Vikings preview

Redskins (1-6) at Vikings (5-2)

TV: Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, Fox, NFL Network

Line: Vikings by 15 1 ⁄2

Redskins’ keys: Shut down Vikings RB Dalvin Cook and force former Redskins QB Kirk Cousins to make bad decisions. Vikings fans have gotten both sides of Cousins this season, but lately he’s been on an absolute tear with three consecutive 300-yard games and 10 touchdown passes. His average for the first four games was 184 yards, and he threw just three TDs in that span. If the Redskins are to pull off an upset, they’ll need Cousins to revert to the quarterback we saw earlier.

Vikings’ keys: Put pressure on former Vikings QB Case Keenum and force him into mistakes. This sounds easy considering Keenum’s struggles, but the Vikings always have struggled against running quarterbacks. Rookie WR Terry McLaurin has been a pleasant surprise for Washington as a third-round pick. He could be a problem for Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes, who has been inconsistent in 2019.

Matchup to watch: Redskins RB Adrian Peterson vs. Vikings’ defense. You know Peterson will be hungry going up against the team for which he played 10 seasons. This Vikings’ defense has been dominant against the run, so the odds are stacked against him. He played against the Vikings in Week 1 of the 2017 season as a member of the Saints and carried six times for just 18 yards.

Who wins? The Vikings are better at every aspect of the game. It would be a huge upset if the Redskins came away with a win. Then again, Thursday night games have proved to be crazy over the years. Vikings, 35-10