Sunday, September 7, 2014, 1:00 PM, FOX

Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

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In a battle between two teams that finished near the bottom of the NFC last year, the Minnesota Vikings will visit the St. Louis Rams in Week 1 of the season.

The Minnesota Vikings finished a disappointing 5-11 last season and were winless on the road. Star running back Adrian Peterson helped them to finish in the top 10 in rushing, but they were in the bottom 10 in passing and had one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

Over the offseason, the Vikings lost star defensive end Jared Allen, but they added cornerback Captain Munnerlyn and defensive end Corey Wootton to try to make up for the loss. The Vikings used their two first round picks very well by picking up linebacker Anthony Barr at No. 9 and potential starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater at No. 32.

The St. Louis Rams did pretty much what people expected them to do last season, finishing with a 7-9 record and ending up at the bottom of the strong NFC West division. Quarterback Sam Bradford is considered one of the better arms in the league, but the Rams finished in the bottom five in passing in 2013.

The Rams lost multiple key free agents, but they did pick up defensive end Alex Carrington and cornerback Cortland Finnegan to help their defense. The Rams used the number two overall pick to select offensive tackle Greg Robinson, who should improve their offensive line right away.

Josh's Pick: Take St. Louis

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