The Green Bay Packers did their part on Saturday to continue setting themselves up in good position to make the playoffs, beating the Minnesota Vikings 38-25. Rodgers found Nelson again, in the end zone, for his third TD pass.
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Green Bay is on a four-game win streak to move to 8-6 on the season. The Vikings are 7-7, coming off a 34-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Following an unsurprising win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday (though still somewhat concerning given that the Matt Barkley-led Bears came dangerously close to the upset, tying the score at 27-27 with under two minutes to go), the Packers are certainly back.
Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn would rather muddle things up.
In an interview last month for a story about Mike McCarthy, former Chicago Bears coach and longtime National Football League analyst Mike Ditka put the kibosh on any questions about McCarthy’s job security. “We’re going to try to spoil their parade and put them in a bad situation”. They will be in Green Bay to take on the Packers in an NFC North Rival game at noon on West Dakota Fox.
After a 25-16 win at Jacksonville on December 11, the Vikings still had a realistic shot of making the postseason if they could win their final three games.
Rodgers is still prolific, even if his mobility might be limited. The Vikings are now 7-7 on the year and out of playoff contention.
Peterson was eased into game action against the Colts, taking six carries for 22 yards and one reception for a yard.
Clay Matthews, feeling much stronger with his separated shoulder, turned on the jets around the tackle and walloped Sam Bradford jarring the ball loose and Mike Daniels recovered the fumble. “I think they have a few holes in their armor”.
Minnesota has to win this game to have any realistic shot of making the NFC Playoffs. Detroit hasn’t won a division championship since 1993.
If the Lions lose to (or tie) the Cowboys and lose to the Packers, the Packers will have the better overall record and win the division. Rodgers hasn’t thrown an interception in five games, and is completing almost 70 percent of his passes over that span. Ty Montgomery has helped with the balance, breaking out for 162 yards last week against Chicago.
The first injury report for practice this week listed Rodgers as a full go, dealing with just the calf injury. He may have already played his last game as a Viking if he doesn’t play next week in Chicago. The Vikings gave up 283 yards in the first half to the Packers, and fell behind 28-13 while being picked apart by Aaron Rodgers.
Because as it turns out, spending an extra five hours on an ice-covered runway was a heck of a lot more enjoyable than trying to stop Aaron Rodgers. The Packers, led by their MVP candidate at QB, are one victory away from erasing the memory of all that once ailed them. Rodgers also passed Brett Favre as the only quarterback in franchise history to throw for 35 touchdowns in four different seasons. If he plays, it could be his last game as a Viking if, as expected, the Vikings are eliminated from the playoff race this weekend.
“The focus is to win games”, Bradford said. So I think that’s the identity of this football team.
There at least were two bright spots Saturday on Minnesota’s defense. Now the quarterback could face a Vikings D without its standout safety, Harrison Smith.
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The Packers are on a takeaway roll, with 10 the last two games.
