THREE THINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK

• If the Lynx are going to make the playoffs and improve their seed, they need to take care of business in home games like the one Thursday against Dallas — the last-place team in the West.

• Same goes for Minnesota United, which has vaulted up the MLS standings thanks to great work at Allianz Field but needs to keep things going Thursday at Kansas City. The Western Conference standings are a jumbled mess that can change quickly.

• You aren't allowed to describe any NFL team's third preseason game — in which starters tend to play more — without the words "all-important." Those are the rules. The Vikings have their all-important third one Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium against Arizona.