Shawn (7-3) — Beating the Minnesota Vikings is one of the few things in life that never gets old. It is kind of like beating the French. Even when they are in perpetual decline with their glory years long past, it is still a pure pleasure. Even though they never won anything. Unlike the Cowboys or Bears who you partially hate because they were good at one point, the Vikings were never good enough to win anything, but it doesn’t matter. They THINK they were good or they think that they WILL be good, and that is enough for us to laugh our asses off at what the Joker once called their “failed and useless lives.”
Any time an NFL team plays a divisional game on the road, shit can happen. See the effin Raiders beating the Chiefs. The Packers need to play well in this game. If they think, or if fans think, that they are just gonna show up and win, then they can give Andy Reid a call.
Even though Eddie Lacy had his best game of the year against them, I fully expect the Vikings to go cover-2, rush four and drop seven against the Packers offense. I’m sure they are well aware of what Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb have been doing to defenses, and they’ll look to double team the outside guys and make someone else beat them.
They aren’t looking to get any help from the weather in, yes, an outside game in Minnesota. It has been 20 degrees below normal around here for the past two weeks, but it is finally warming up over the weekend. Weather should be no issue.
What the Vikings will also look to do is run the football and keep the Packers offense off the field. If they can get that going, then the little dumps to the fullback and misdirections to the tight end that they love to run should open up as well. With Teddy Bridgewater in at QB, the Vikings have a better third down option than they did at Lambeau, but they’ll still want to keep those third downs of the short variety.
For me, the key to the game is the Viking pass rush. Everson Griffin has played well in the past against the Packers and the Vikings will need him and others on that defensive line to have a big game. If they can’t get pressure with their front four, the Vikings are sunk, and the Packers will cover the spread easily. If the Vikings can get some pressure and run the football, they have a chance to keep the game close.
The Vikings are a fast-starting team and I can see them keeping this game close early. However, it would be crazy to pick the Packers in anything but a blowout at this point. Let’s keep the momentum rolling.
Packers 38, Vikings 17
Andrew (8-2) — The Green Bay Packers head on the road for the first time in a few weeks to take on their inept nemesis, the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers absolutely throttled the Vikings the last time the two teams met, but that was within the friendly confines of Lambeau Field versus a Christian Ponder-led offense. Will things be just as easy for the sizzling hot Packers this week, or will a little bit of a reality check take place as Green Bay reminds everyone that they haven’t always looked that good playing on the road?
This game the Packers get their first up-close look at Teddy Bridgewater. I’ve read that the rookie looks pretty good thus far. See, I wouldn’t know beyond that because I would rather be caught wearing a leather bustier at the Blue Oyster Bar than have to watch those purple pukes more than twice, and in rare cases, three times a year. But from what I ascertain, there is some reason to be concerned about the upgrade the Vikings will have at quarterback this time.
The Vikings are 4-6 which really isn’t that bad, but it is a deceptive 4-6 to be sure. The Vikings four wins came against the Rams, Falcons, Buccaneers, and Redskins. That powerhouse foursome boasts an unimpressive 13-27 record this season or 32.5 percent. Against teams with winning records, the Vikings are 0-4 and have lost by an average of 20 points a game in those contests. Against the only .500 team in the league, the Buffalo Bills, the purple pukes lost on the road by one.
So the Vikings are an average team. Plain and simple. But since the playoffs are obviously off the table this year (What else is new?) this will be their Super Bowl on Sunday and they will play hard. I don’t think the Vikings will be a pushover for the Packers. I just think they’re outmatched.
All that being said, if the Packers don’t come ready to do battle and decide to take this team even a little bit lightly, the result could end up a whole lot closer.
Packers 31
Vikings 13
Monty (6-4) — The Green Bay Packers are rolling, having put up more than 50 points on their last two opponents. Those games weren’t even close. They were more or less over by halftime.
What’s more, the Packers did that against an Eagles team that is obviously superior to the Minnesota Vikings team they play on Sunday and a Bears team that just beat this Vikings team last week.
So clearly, the Packers are going to annihilate the Vikings and rookie quarterback Teddy Butthole. Right?
Mmmmm… kind of.
I have no doubt the Packers are going to win. They’re just far too superior of a team not to and one of the themes of the week was guarding against a letdown. So I fully expect Green Bay to be focused and play well.
That being said, I do not expect another 50-point romp that’s over by halftime. Simply, the Packers are a different team on the road than they are at home. You have to look no further than their last loss, which was of the humiliating variety to a not-very-good New Orleans Saints team.
That was only four weeks ago, in case you forgot.
All three of the Packers’ losses have come on the road this year. In two of those losses, the defense has been awful. In the other (Detroit), Aaron Rodgers was awful. Now, I don’t expect either of those things to be the case this week, but I also don’t see any way the Packers keep up the pace they have set the past two weeks.
I’m looking for a big day from Eddie Lacy, much like the first time these teams met, and for the Packers to pull away a little more slowly than normal.
Adrian Peterson is not walking through that door.
So suck a dick, Minnesota.
Packers 35, Vikings 16