Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Vikings 38
Packers 26
The biggest spectacle in the NFL aside from the Super Bowl is finally over and Vikings fans are left grinning while Packer fans hang their heads low, still wondering what hit them. So now that this game is over with, the rest of the NFL world can concentrate on the second half of the season (that includes you, ESPN). First things first though, a little PPP following Favre Bowl II as Purple Moses continued his dominance against his former squad.
Been there, Done That
Since the season began, Packer fans have wasted all of their energy trying to come up with ways to stick it to Favre once he came running onto the field in Vikings white and purple. All they could come up with was a chorus of boo's and wasted plane fuel pulling a banner no one paid any attention to. Meanwhile, Favre did what he was used to doing in Lambeau Field, dominate. Four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a ton more class than anyone in Green Bay has later, Favre left there with another win and more importantly, a commanding lead in the Division. The only thing that was missing was one final Lambeau Leap, but with the bamboozled state of mind the fans were in, it was better left undone. Many say that Favre wanted to stick it to the Pack, Ted Thompson in general. In the two games, Favre not only got two important wins, he also had 7 td's and no interceptions. Whether he did or not, he stuck it to the Pack just based off his play.
Second Half Defense
After holding the Packers to 47 yards of total offense in the 1st half, the Vikings defense once again gave up huge numbers in the second half (300+ yards), giving the Packers a glimmer of hope to beat their once beloved Favre. Not sure what's going on with this unit. Are they running out of gas in the second half, or just losing interest? One thing's for sure, this trend cannot continue, especially come playoff time. Hopefully in the coming bye week they can all do a little soul searching and fix the issue. Getting Winfield back will also be key.
Rookie of the Year?
Percy Harvin is making big case for Rookie of the Year. Not only is he a dynamic kick returner, he's also displaying skills as a wide-out that normally take three plus years to develop at the Pro level. It's amazing how fast he and Favre have come together. On his receiving touchdown he displayed some unreal body control and desire to make the catch. He's not afraid to go across the middle and he's as tough as an Ox, something I've mentioned a couple of times in this young season. The Vikings are proving once again that sometimes, you just have to take a chance on someone as talented as him.
Goat and Stud of the Week
Stud: Percy Harvin - Yeah I know, it's easy to place Favre in this slot this week, too easy. The reason I'm going with Harvin is because of the field position he provide the Vikings offense all game long. While the Packers tried bringing back a washed up Ahman Green for kick returns, Harvin lit up the Packers with a 35 yard average getting 175 yards on five returns. Toss in another five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown, and it's not too hard to argue with this choice.
Goat: Packer Fans - All the build up to this game, all the schemes to dis Favre, make him feel hated, un-wanted, exiled. For what? He's a future Hall of Fame QB that resurrected your franchise back in 1992. That's right, resurrected. Before Favre, who were the Packers? Oh sure you dub yourselves title town and we're happy for all those titles you had before there was even a NFL. Yeah you won the first two Super Bowls, back when most of the Nation didn't even know what a Super Bowl was. And guess what, that was the 60's. From that time on till Favre stepped on your hallowed grounds, the Packers were along the same lines as the 80's Buccaneers or today's Lions. So seriously, enough with the "We don't need ya" act. He brought your franchise back into the limelight, he loved his time there, and he will always love you, the fans, even though you treat him like minced meat all because he felt he wasn't done playing yet. From what I've seen so far, he wasn't done, and he's still not done.
What's on tap
A much deserved bye week. Time to rest weary bones, clear the mind and recharge for that second half push into the playoffs. I said a few weeks ago that if the Vikings could go 2-1 in the final three games before the Bye, that they are legit Super Bowl contenders. They did just that and are sitting on top of the NFC North at 7-1. Enjoy the week off, spend it with family and I'll see you back here again after the Lions game at home where I'll have a live take on that one from the 30-yard line, lower level.
SKOL Vikings!!
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