Time: Kickoff at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Weather: Not a factor — they play in the Metrodome.
Oddsmakers say: Minnesota by three and a half with an over/under of 46.
Daily Record’s reckless reckoning: Vikings 31, Jaguars 21.
Records: Jaguars 5-8, Vikings 5-8.
The series: Minnesota won the only other meeting, beating the Jaguars 50-10 in 1998.
Last week: The Jaguars are champions in Ohio after winning back-to-back games at Cincinnati and Cleveland. The 15-10 victory over the Browns moved Jacksonville out of last place in the AFC Central Division.
Television: The game will be televised locally on Ch. 4 and regionally on CBS affiliates. Gus Johnson will call play-by-play with Brent Jones adding color analysis.
The game: The Jaguars travel to Minnesota, where they were pummeled by the Vikings three years ago. But those were two very different teams. Minnesota went 15-1 and Jacksonville went 11-5 and both teams were seemingly on the upswing. It’s a different story this year as both are 5-8 and struggling. Coach Tom Coughlin reflected Wednesday on the 50-10 shellacking his team suffered in 1998. “They [the Vikings] played much better. They seemed much quicker on their turf. It wasn’t pretty.” Unlike 1998, when Jaguars backup quarterback Jonathan Quinn played, battered Mark Brunell will take the snaps this week in Minnesota. Nevertheless, the results could be similar as the Vikings play for pride on their home field. Coughlin cited noise as a factor, which could hinder communication for the offense. The key to stopping the Vikings, statistically, is to neutralize their passing game, which is ranked third in the NFL. Every other category lingers near the bottom. Rushing offense: 24. Passing defense: 25. Rushing defense: 30. Points allowed: 27. Turnover ratio: 29. Still, three wins in a row might be a bit much to expect from the Jaguars, especially in the hostile Metrodome.
Next week: The Jaguars return home to face the Kansas City Chiefs for a 1 p.m. game at Alltel Stadium. It’s the final home game of the season.
—by Glenn Tschimpke