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Game Summary

Winners of the first 5 games and the last 6 regular season matchups dating back to the 2008 finale, the Minnesota Vikings (5-0) will return to Mall of America Field this Sunday to face the Baltimore Ravens (3-2). Kickoff is set for noon (CT).

Sunday’s game will be just the 4th matchup between the Vikings and Ravens, with Baltimore holding a 2-1 lead in the series. This will be the Ravens first trip to Minnesota, as all 3 previous regular season games have been at Baltimore. The last time the 2 teams met was on 12/25/05, a 30-23 Ravens victory.

Key Links

Ravens at Vikings Press Release (PDF)

Latest Vikings Depth Chart

Broadcast Info

TV: WCCO Channel 4 in the Twin Cities
Play-By-Play: Greg Gumbel Analysts: Dan Dierdorf
Sideline Reporters: None

RADIO: KFAN-AM 1130/KTLK 100.3-FM
Play-by-Play: Paul Allen Analyst: Pete Bercich
Sideline Reporter: Greg Coleman
Pre-Game Show: 10 a.m. CT
KFAN and KTLK serve as the flagship stations for the 74-station, 6-state Minnesota Vikings Radio Network. Click here to view all stations on the Vikings Radio Network.

What To Watch For

- If the Vikings win, it will be the team’s 15th victory in the last 18 regular season games and the 7th consecutive regular season win, dating back to 12/28/08. The last time the Vikings won 7 straight games was in 2000, when the team started the season 7-0.

- The Ravens-Vikings matchup will feature 2 of the top 5 most explosive teams in the league in terms of scoring. The Vikings 31.2 PPG ranks 2nd and the Ravens 27.6 PPG ranks 5th.

- Sunday’s game will feature the 2 best rushing defenses over the past 4 years. Since 2006, the Vikings have allowed just 73.2 rushing yards per game, which leads the league during that time. The Ravens rank 2nd, giving up just 78.6 yards per game.

- If the Vikings don’t allow a Ravens running back to reach 100 rushing yards, it will be the 29th consecutive game the Vikings haven’t given up 100 yards rushing to an individual. The Vikings current streak of 28 games is the longest active stretch after the Ravens streak of 38 games was snapped last week. The last player to rush for 100 yards against the Vikings was Packers RB Ryan Grant on 11/11/07 (102 yards).

Stats of the Week

- The Vikings have outscored opponents 45-3 in the 3rd quarter. Minnesota’s 45 points in the 3rd quarter is the most of any team, and the Vikings rank 4th in overall scoring with 29.5 PPG.

- The Vikings 5-0 start is the first for 19-year veteran QB Brett Favre. He had two 4-0 starts prior to this season (1998, 2007 - GB).

- The Vikings 156 total points this season leads all NFL teams, and the team’s 31.2 points per game ranks 3rd (New Orleans and Philadelphia have had a bye but are averaging more points through their 4 games).

- LB Chad Greenway and DE Jared Allen are currently tied for 2nd in the NFL with 2 defensive fumble recoveries on the season.

- Last week the Vikings became the 15th franchise in NFL history to win 400 games (400-322-9).

- The Vikings have given up just 4 turnovers on the season, the 2nd-lowest in the NFL.

- The Vikings defense has allowed just 69 offensive points through the first 5 games, which is the 5th-lowest in the league.

- RB Adrian Peterson has 481 rushing yards and 7 TDs through the first 5 games compared to 452 yards and 3 TDs through the first 5 games last season. His 7 rushing TDs rank 1st.

Vikings Big Days vs. Ravens

- QB Brett Favre threw for 337 yards and 3 TDs on 27-of-34 passing and a QB rating of 137.4 as a member of the Green Bay Packer when the teams met on 10/14/01. He was NFC Offensive Player of the Week as well as Miller Lite Player of the Week for his efforts vs. the defending Super Bowl champs.

- LB E.J. Henderson tied for the team lead with 7 tackles at Baltimore (12/25/05).

- LB Ben Leber notched a sack on QB Kyle Boller while Leber was playing with the Chargers (9/21/03).

- QB Sage Rosenfels had a career-high 294 passing yards against the Ravens last 11/9 while with Houston.

- S Madieu Williams posted season-highs 10 tackles (9/10/07) and 12 tackles (11/5/06) against the Ravens while with the Bengals.

Vikings vs. Ravens Series Notes

- The Vikings and Ravens have only met 3 times previously with the Ravens holding a 2-1 record over the Vikings.

- The teams have yet to play a regular season game since Brad Childress took over in 2006, but met in the 2006 and 2008 preseasons, with the Vikings winning both games.

- The last time the Vikings and Ravens met in the regular season was on Christmas Day in 2005, when the Ravens defeated the Vikings 30-23 on ESPN Sunday Night Football.

- This will be the Ravens 1st visit to the Metrodome; all 3 previous matchups between the 2 squads have been played in Baltimore.

- The only other NFL team the Vikings have played fewer games against than the Ravens (3) are the Houston Texans (2).

- Former Viking C Matt Birk will spend his first time on the visitors’ sideline after spending the past 11 years with Minnesota. Former Raven RB Chester Taylor will play his first regular season game against the team that drafted him in 2002.

- The Ravens have only scored 1 rushing TD against the Vikings in the three game series and 0 in the past 2 matchups, while the Vikings have never scored a rushing touchdown against the Ravens.

- 11 current Vikings were on the roster the last times the teams met in 2005: T Bryant McKinnie, G Anthony Herrera, TE Jim Kleinsasser, DTs Kevin and Pat Williams, LB E.J. Henderson, CB Antoine Winfield, P Chris Kluwe, and LS Cullen Loeffler all played in the game, while LB Heath Farwell and TE/FB Jeff Dugan were inactive.

A Win Would...

- Give the Vikings their second 6-0 start in the last 7 years and their 3rd since the 2000 season. The last time the team started 6-0 was in 2003.

- Give the Vikings their 15th win in the last 18 regular season games, dating back to 10/6/08. The Vikings are 14-3 in the last 17 games.

- Give the Vikings their 7th consecutive regular season victory, dating back to the 2008 season finale against the N.Y. Giants. The last time the Vikings won 7 straight games was when they opened the 2000 season 7-0.

- Improve the Vikings all-time record against the Ravens to 2-2-0.

- Give Head Coach Brad Childress his first victory over Baltimore in his first game against the Ravens.

- Give Childress his 2nd straight win vs. a former colleague that is now a head coach (Spagnuolo-Rams; Harbaugh-Ravens).

Last Time vs. Baltimore

The Vikings and Ravens last regular season matchup came on Christmas day in 2005, in a nationally televised ESPN Sunday Night Football game. Despite a solid performance from Vikings starting QB Brad Johnson and a halftime lead, the Vikings fell to the Ravens 23-30.

Johnson threw for 248 yards on 25-of-36 passing and 2 TDs, finishing the day with a 107.2 passer rating. TE Jermaine Wiggins was Johnson’s favorite target on the day hauling in 7 balls for 43 yards a touchdown. WR Travis Taylor grabbed the other TD pass on a 13-yard strike from Johnson. Taylor finished the day with 3 catches for 40 yards. WR Troy Williamson was on the receiving end of Johnson’s longest pass of the day, when the pair hooked up for a 56-yard completion. RB Mewelde Moore was the Vikings lead rusher with 49 yards on 10 carries. Moore also had 42 yards on 4 receptions.

On defense SS Corey Chavous and current Vikings LB E.J. Henderson and DT Pat Williams tied for the team lead with 7 tackles apiece. FS Darren Sharper had 1-of-2 Vikings takeaways, picking off Kyle Boller in the 4th quarter. Sharper also added 6 tackles. LBs Raonall Smith and Sam Cowart tallied both of the Vikings sacks on the day. Current Vikings CB Antoine Winfield and DT Kevin Williams had 4 and 3 tackles respectively and both notched a pass breakup.

K Paul Edinger connected on 3 of his FG attempts, hitting from 36, 40, and 46 yards. Edinger was also true on both his PATs, while P Chris Kluwe was able to pin the Ravens inside their own 20-yard line twice. Also making an impact on special teams was reserve RB Adimchinobe Echemandu, who forced a fumble on then Ravens KR Chester Taylor that was recovered by Smith to open the second half.