Louisville FireTeam synopsis: Louisville is an expansion team in 2011 headed by the Georgia Frontiere of the Frozen Tundra Tabitha Reilly. Although a new team Louisville already has a couple of blue chip players on offense in WR Dwayne Bowe and Running Back Darren McFadden. Bowe was a Pro-Bowl selection in 2010 while McFadden finished fifth in the NFL in Yards From Scrimmage. The Fire defense features Nose Tackle Kyle Williams, Defensive End Will Smith and Cornerback Aqib Talib. Both the defense and the offense are a solid group that can present problems. Coach Reilly and the Fire should bring some heat to the opposition throughout the 2011 season.
Louisville lost their first 5 games and their last 3 games. In between those streaks the Fire had a 5-3 record. What are the reasons for this two-faced effort? Darren McFadden is the league rushing leader for 2011 generating over 2200 rushing yards and the Fire as a team were the number one rushing team in the Frozen Tundra. QB Kyle Orton, after a slow start to the season, began locating WR Dwayne Bowe and TE John Carlson developing a nice passing rhythm to move the offense. One big factor in the Fire's losing season 38 sacks on Orlton while the defense has made just nine sacks. Long yardage situations often spell doom when you're trying to win a game. No one on the defense had more than 3 sacks or 3 interceptions as Louisville lost the turnover battle by a margin of eight, again hindering the chances for victory. Offensive leaders for Louisville:
| PASSING | ATT. | COMP. | T.D. | INT. | RTG. |
| Kyle Orton | 426 | 209 | 23 | 13 | 73.4 |
| RUSHING | ATT. | YDS. | AVG. | LONG | T.D. |
| Darren McFadden | 385 | 2254 | 5.9 | 59 | 11 |
| RECEIVING | REC. | YDS. | AVG. | LONG | T.D. |
| Dwayne Bowe | 70 | 954 | 13.6 | 78 | 10 |
Minnesota VikingsTeam synopsis: Joe Sardo coached the Vikings to a disappointing 6-10 record in 2010. Don't be misled by that 2010 record, Minnesota has some lethal weapons on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Defense is always a point of pride in Minnesota and this team has some defensive firepower. Sack master Defensive End Jared Allen is a three time 1st Team All-Pro. Supporting the defensive line is a superlative collection of linebackers David Harris, Jarrod Mayo and Shaun Phillips. This group of defensive talent can stifle an offense on any given day. When the Vikings move on offense it's another cause for headaches to opposing coaches. Tony Romo quarterbacks the squad, with Wide Receivers Santonio Holmes and Santana Moss. Running Back LeSean McCoy is a big threat so Coach Sardo has some nice options when the Vikings have the ball.
Minnesota finished the season with a 7-9 record. Quarterback Tony Romo, let's talk about the good. Over 3700 yards passing and 26 touchdowns. However, Romo tossed 29 picks and was sacked 26 times. This sheds some light on why Minnesota played below .500. Tight End Tony Moeaki had a huge season with 87 receptions while Santana Moss has pulled in 9 TD catches. Running backs LeSean McCoy had a workman like season gaining over 100 yards with a 4.0 rushing average. Chris Ivory also contributed some nice running out of the backfield. Still it was "Shady" McCoy accounting for 18 touchdowns in rushing and receiving that spearheaded the Viking offense. This Viking team is a tough one to get a handle on. The team just seems to run hot and cold. Statistically one thing does jump out at you. Minnesota lost the turnover battle by a margin of -9. The Vikes lost 3 games by a touchdown or less and in two of those games they lost the turnover battle and in the third one they were even. Unless you're an elite team you just can't win consistently when you give the other team more opportunities with the ball. Offensive leaders for Minnesota:
| PASSING | ATT. | COMP. | T.D. | INT. | RTG. |
| Tony Romo | 547 | 336 | 26 | 29 | 75.4 |
| RUSHING | ATT. | YDS. | AVG. | LONG | T.D. |
| LeSean McCoy | 272 | 1082 | 4.0 | 46 | 13 |
| RECEIVING | REC. | YDS. | AVG. | LONG | T.D. |
| Tony Moeaki | 87 | 780 | 9.0 | 34 | 1 |
