Un-Favre-Gettable Finish!

Packers Pull It Out - Defeat Vikings

Vikings 24 - Packers 28

It was yet another close contest, but Green Bay finally found themselves on the winning side. Here are some grades at a glance...

Offense: Slow out of the gate, the Packers ramped things up as the game wore on. QB Aaron Rodgers made 2 regrettable passes in the first half that resulted in interceptions, one by DE Jared Allen. Mistakes were corrected, though, and Rodgers was able to spread the ball around, feeding WR Greg Jennings 6 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, and hitting 3rd tier receiver James Jones 4 times for an impressive 107 yards. Jones saw extended play, as iron-man WR Donald Driver was offered fewer snaps while nursi

ng a leg strain. Overall, Rodgers completed 21 of 34 passes for 295 yards with 2 TD's and 2 INT's. His success can be partially linked to the su

ccess of the ground game. RB Brandon Jackson finally had the breakout game coach Mike McCarthy has said he is capable of. He scored 1 TD and gained 58 yards on 13 carries for a an average of 4.5 yards per play. While Vikings RB Adrian Peterson did gain 131 yards, let's put that in perspective. Minnesota spread those yards over 28 carries for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Honorable mention goes to rookie TE Andrew Quarless, who caught a zinger from Rodgers for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Grade: B

Defense: If you've watched this season closely,

you may have noticed Green Bay producing something on defense that has been a bit lacking: Turnovers. The Packer's defense came up with 3 critical interceptions against their former QB, Brett Favre. A.J. Hawk, Nick Collins, and Desmond Bishop all had the privilege of stepping in front of errant passes. Desmond Bishop turned his INT into a pick 6 after a 32 yard scamper, scoring what would prove to be the winning points. A cascade of boos from the crowd kept Favre uncomfortable, or perhaps it was the hot pursuit by LB Brad Jones and DE Jarius Wynn, who each notched a sack a piece. LB Clay Matthews did not get a sack, but his constant aggression left Favre's jersey ripped and sta

ined. Unfortunately, there's no official stat for that. The rest of the defense did their part to apply relentless pressure on Favre, and keep the Vikings receivers in check for the most part. The last drive of the game saw the defense dig in and come up with a big stop on 4th and 15. Given how banged up they are, these boys really gave a gutsy performance. A

Special Teams: The Packers did a good job of

containing WR Percy Harvin, a legitimate threat in the return game. Kicker Mason Crosby's boots were deep and high, usually giving the coverage unit ample time to bottle up the play. Punter Tim Masthay bounced back after last week's poor showing, kicking several good balls. The real treat came on a fake field goal pass attempt, a rarity in a Mike McCarthy gameplan. On 4th and short, Green Bay's kicking unit took the field with one secret substitution. Backup QB Matt Flynn was inserted as the holder, a position he once held. The formation was audibled and after the snap, rookie TE Andrew Quarless went deep. The Vikings were certainly caught off guard, but Quarless got tripped up and failed to bring in the strike. Later McCarthy admitted that TE Jermichael Finley has run that play for years, and in light of his injury, Quarless has only practiced it a handful of times. Bummer dude. 'A' for effort. Literally. A

As you know by now, the split goes to the winner, so I'll call this game an A- for the Packers. A solid performance marred by a few mistakes. Look for improved morale and consistency going forward. This was a big win and reinforcements are on the way.

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DDS MVP WEEK 7

This week's MVP is WR James Jones. Donald Driver saw reduced action due to an injury, and Jones really stepped up big. I won't rehash the stats, but this was a good game for a guy who has worked hard to earn the trust of the coaching staff in Green Bay.