PACKERS 31 - VIKINGS 3
Favre may be lord and master in the norseman's Metrodrome, but Minneapolis was Mr. Rodgers' neighborhood this past Sunday, as the Packers put a hurtin' on the Vikings to the tune of 31-3. It was a great day to be a Packer fan, so let's see how our boys graded out at a glance...
The offense got off to a slow start - but by "start" I mean the first drive. It was all gas after that, as Green Bay exploded all over Minnesota, taking advantage of a weak secondary. QB Aaron Rodgers went 22-31 for 301 yards with 4 TD's, no INT's, and a 141.3 passer rating. Simply put: Wow. His success in this game can be traced back to game planning. The Vikings are weak in the secondary, playing youngsters in place of injured veterans. For whatever reason, no other team this season has been able to exploit this weakness like the Packers did on Sunday. WR Greg Jennings played the costar on the Rodgers Roadshow, nabbing 7 receptions for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns. Say it again: Wow. The offensive line held up incredibly well, proving that when given time, Rodgers truly is a pinpoint passer with elite abilities. For me, the real treat came in the 4th quarter, when RB Dimitri Nance finally got some touches. He carried the ball 12 times for 37 yards. Considering that this was in garbage time, when the Vikings were anticipating the run and thus stacking the line, his numbers looked much better than starting RB Brandon Jackson, who had 3 quarters of work to produce just 28 yards on 14 carries. I think Nance definitely came away deserving a shot to at least share RB duties for more than just the 4th quarter. All in all, it's hard to argue with 31 points all scored by the offense. Grade: A
Defensively, what can I say that hasn't already been said over the past few games. The Packers gave up just 3 points in this game, which means they've given up just 10 points in their last 3 contests. That's hard-fought production against talented offenses such as the New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, and Favre's Vikings. Another point of interest: Viking's coach Brad Childress was fired immediately after this drubbing, joing former Cowboy's head coach Wade Phillips as the second coach to be fired after getting creamed by Green Bay. But, I digress. Favre was just 17 of 38 attempts and was intercepted once -- A brilliant read by Tramon Williams (Al Harris who?). The Packers held the Vikings to just 4-13 third down conversion attempts, and snuffed out both attempted 4th down conversions. The front seven are really starting to cooperate, especially nose tackle BJ Raji, who has definitely grown into his role as a brick wall with legs. All in all, with just 300 total yard surrendered, and only one field goal given up, it's hard not to give this group a solid A
Special Teams didn't see a lot of action, but that's a good thing. Punter Tim Masthay got in 5 boots, and generally did a good job keeping the ball away from Vikings returner Percy Harvin. When not suffering from debilitating migraines, Harvin enjoys causing headaches for special teams coaches. Luckily, thanks to some squirrelly Aussie-style directional punting, Harvin was largely a non factor in the return game. B
Overall, the Packers scored an A- against the Vikings. This was an important win for a team looking to finally vanquish QB Brett Favre, whose shadow has haunted Lambeau Field since his departure.
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