Had a hectic last couple of days.

Honestly, at this point, the Titans probably have the better defense, but the edge is very slight. By the end of the year, I think they’ll both rank among the top 5-7 defenses in the NFL. The Titans are a better defense against the pass than Minnesota is, but Minnesota has been better against the run than everybody in the NFL over the last two years, and I haven’t seen any indications that that’s going to change this year.

And you’re right. . .there are a lot of similarities between the Titans and the Vikings. They both have great running games, they’ve both got great defenses, they’ve both just made the switch to aging backup QBs, they both have suspect groups of WRs. All the indicators are that it should be a very close, evenly matched game. I’d be surprised if this one was a blowout in either direction.

Of those similarities, I’ve already given the Titans a slight edge on defense. . .I think Minnesota’s running game is better than Tennessee’s at this point. I think Kerry Collins v. Gus Frerotte is a wash. . .they’re both pretty much the same QB at this point in their careers. To be honest, I don’t know a heck of a lot about the Titans receivers. I vaguely remember Justin Gage’s days with the Bears, but that was a while ago. . .I’m sure he’s a better receiver now than he was then. I’m going to have to call that a wash, too.

Overall, I’m looking forward to a very exciting game on Sunday.

Well, fortunately for you guys (and unfortunately for us), this will be the last game where the Vikings will be without the services of LT Bryant McKinnie, who got suspended by the league a week before the season opener for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.

The guy that’s filled in for him at LT, Artis Hicks, has actually held up surprisingly well. I really didn’t expect much out of him, to be honest, but given the guys he’s faced over the first three weeks of the season (Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Dwight Freeney, and Julius Peppers), he’s done a pretty fine job of keeping guys off of Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte, and the fact that the Vikings still average almost 5 yards/carry on the ground shows that their run offense hasn’t suffered yet, either.

LG – For my money, Steve Hutchinson is the best offensive lineman in the NFL, regardless of position. He mauls guys in the running game, he’s got great footwork and technique when it comes to pass blocking, and he busts his butt on every single play. There’s not a lot more than needs to be said about him.

C – Matt Birk, while starting to get long in the tooth, is still one of the better centers in the league. He has to rely on technique and savvy more often that brute force at this point in his career, but I still think he pulls better than any other center in the league, and almost always seems to make the right line calls to get the job done.

RG – Anthony Herrera, who took over for Artis Hicks at RG a couple of games into last season, is a mauler. His run blocking skills are pretty good, but he’s probably the Vikings’ weak link in pass protection. He’s not awful at it or anything, but compared to the guys he’s surrounded by, if there’s a weak spot in the pass blocking, it’s Herrera.

RT – Ryan Cook has been the subject of much debate among Viking fans since he was drafted in 2006. Some of that is because he was selected with the pick that the Vikings acquired by trading Daunte Culpepper to the Miami Dolphins. He played center in college, but has been moved to right tackle. He had a rough transition to RT, particularly last year, but he’s gotten markedly better than he was. He’s probably the Vikings weakest run blocker. . .which, again, isn’t to say he’s bad, he’s just not as good as the guys around him. . .but his pass protection skills have gotten a lot better