Coming off a much needed bye week the Green Bay Packers resume by travelling to Minnehaha to take on the once mighty Vikings who have fallen on hard times of late. This is an absolute and unmitigated “Must-Win” situation for the Vikings. There is no other way to look at this game. It’s fairly simple – lose and your season is over, out and down the dumper. The Vikes have given away and thrown away more games than the ’19 Black Sox.
We called this a few weeks back – the only other team in the NFL more dysfunctional and in further disarray than the Vikky’s are the Cowboys who have since gassed Wade “WTF???” Phillips. After GB dropped 45 on the ‘Pokes Philly got the axe. Brad Childress is now taken Bum’s boy’s spot on the hot seat and his arse has to be hotter than the center of the sun about now. And Chilly has no one to blame but himself.
The Vikings are a mess and their collectively disappointing year is attributable more to their defense than the lackluster performance of their QB. The once feared Williams Wall and front 4 pass rush is all but nonexistent now. The Vikes DB’s are incredibly susceptible to the long ball and outside of EJ Henderson their LB’s have failed mightily.
In fact, if it weren’t for Brett Favre’s heroics and penchant for last minute miracles the Vikings would be shuffling the deck for early round draft positioning. Even after coming back huge in the last 4 minutes against the Cards, last week the Bears ate up the Vikings and their OLine. There aren’t enough plugs in the world to fix what ails the Vikes right now, and their O Line is among the league’s worst. With Favre running for his life on almost every down on a bum ankle that can’t be a healthy recipe. The Bears exposed all that is wrong in Minnesota right now.
Favre has not exactly played up to the level he did last year and to do so was to expect the near impossible as he had the best season of his stellar career. He is back to slinging without concern for consequence which is always a bad sign. Favre has also been the type of player who has played better when motivated, and to be blunt last year he was motivated by his voracious desire to stick it to TT and show the Pack what a mistake they made letting him go.
But that fire has cooled considerably and Brett now looks more like he is questioning his decision to be roped off his tractor. He looks and has looked at times tired, disinterested, (and hate to say it BUT) old and beat up. This is not how we want to remember Brett Favre.
Even bruising running back Adrian Peterson is not enough to overcome the Vikings many flaws. Childress has lost this team and probably did so the nanosecond he personally jumped in the car to pick up Favre at the airport last year. While last year’s ride was a blast, it has been a very short honeymoon and Favre and Chilly now take turns take veiled potshots at each other in post game press conferences.
To wit (after the Pats dismantled the Vikes):
Childress (on Favre’s interceptions) – “We’ve got to do a better job of protecting the ball. We can’t afford to give it away like that.”
Favre (after the Cards win but before the Bears loss) – “It doesn’t matter who the coach is, whether it’s Brad our someone else, we all gotta play for ourselves.”
Brutus, meet Cassius.
The entire sad saga of the Randy Moss debacle has left owner Zygi Wulf with a monstrous mess on his hands at the end of the year. Favre is once again trying to be a player coach and Chilly is trying to grab back power he gave away. Who hasn’t seen this drama before or not know how it’s going to end?
To be fair to the Vikings they have been without Sidney Rice all year and that put a serious hole in Minny’s air game. Percy Harvin has been alternately spectacular and merely an observer. Renting Moss for a 3rd rounder makes it look as if the league should look into Belichek and see what the hell he slipped someone to pull this one off. Peterson has no clear backup as rookie Toby Gerhart has not been much more than another back. TE Visanthe Shiancoe is not the presence he was last year and Favre cannot take much more punishment this year.
He’ll have no such luck against a suddenly rejuvenated Green Bay team. Clay Matthews is going to make a long day for the Minny OLine and Favre. The defense will not give much room for Favre’s receivers and may just have some fun at it.
Aaron Rodgers and his receivers have had a few more days to work on the one element missing all year – their collective timing. And it goes without saying that there has been much needed time to let some injuries heal, specifically Donald Drivers ailing quad. Look for Rodgers to have a big day at the Vike’s DB’s expense. Jared Allen will be a nonfactor as Clifton held him up very well in their last meeting.
The TE’s get a boost with the return of Spencer Havner, and don’t be shocked if Havner doesn’t become one of ARod’s favorite short yard/ end zone targets again.
Even in the House of Horrors that has haunted the Packers over the years look for the Packers to make a statement game (again) and eliminate Minnesota, get Childress and end of year pink slip and send Brett back to the tractor for good.
Green Bay gets the nod and Minny gets a higher draft slot.
GREEN BAY 31
Minnesota 17
With the firing of Childress today after the loss to the Pack, it might be time for ours boys to take on a new nickname: The Coach Killers.
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