Packnut
09-29-2007, 11:56 PM
NFL Preview - Green Bay (3-0) at Minnesota (1-2)
By Shawn Clarke, NFL Contributing Editor
(Sports Network) - If any team has a shot at slowing down Brett Favre and the undefeated Green Bay Packers, it's a team that has faced the future Hall of Famer on several occasions. The division-rival Minnesota Vikings will take a swing at the high-flying Packers in a Week 4 battle this Sunday from the Metrodome.
While Green Bay is 3-0 and turning heads around the league, Favre is grabbing records along the way. Favre passed John Elway to become the NFL's all-time leader in wins by a quarterback with a Week 2 triumph over the Giants, then pulled within one touchdown pass of breaking Dan Marino's mark of 420 with three scoring strikes in a 31-24 victory over the Chargers last Sunday.
Favre, who has thrown 49 of his touchdown passes against Minnesota, just keeps adding to his Hall of Fame resume as the weeks go by, but he faces a tough task of beating the Vikings at the hostile Metrodome. The Vikings are desperate for a win following a 13-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week and at 1-2, the team is tied with the Chicago Bears for last place in the NFC North.
Minnesota has also been experiencing major problems in the passing game. Vikings offensive-minded head coach Brad Childress invested a lot of time, patience and confidence in quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, but the signal-caller has yet to blossom. He missed last week's loss to Kansas City with a groin problem after two mediocre performances to start the season. The elusive Jackson then watched backup Kelly Holcomb make his first start since the end of the 2005 season in the Kansas City game.
It's not looking good right now for Minnesota, and it doesn't get any better with Favre and Co. in town searching for an eighth straight win dating back to last season. Yes, the division-leading Packers do have a weak running game so far this season, but are still in hot pursuit of their first 4-0 start since opening the 1998 season with four straight wins. Green Bay finished 11-5 that year before bowing out in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Maybe this time around the Lombardi Trophy will come back home.
SERIES HISTORY
Green Bay leads the all-time regular season series with Minnesota, which dates back to the 1961 season, 46-44-1. The Packers swept last year's home- and-home, scoring a 23-17 win at the Metrodome in Week 10 and a 9-7 victory at Lambeau Field in Week 16. The Vikings swept the home-and-home between the longtime division rivals in 2005.
Each of the last nine regular season games between the Packers and Vikings has been settled by six points or fewer, including six settled by three points or less.
The teams' only postseason meeting to date was the Vikings' 31-17 upset of the Packers at Lambeau Field in a 2004 NFC Wild Card game.
The Packers' Mike McCarthy has a 2-0 edge in his personal series against both the Vikings and Childress.
WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL
Favre (861 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT) was able to lead the Packers over a heavily- favored Chargers squad at Lambeau Field last week and completed 28 of his 45 attempts for 369 yards and three touchdowns. His 57-yard touchdown bomb to Greg Jennings in the fourth quarter lifted Green Bay to victory and tied him with Marino's for the most touchdown passes in league history. Favre, who has passed for 300 yards 49 times in his career, is still not getting the proper protection needed to be comfortable in the pocket. He was sacked twice against San Diego and seven times so far in 2007. The offensive line is another reason why the running game is the worst in the NFL at 57.0 yards per contest.
Green Bay certainly misses running back Ahman Green, who signed with the Texans in the offseason, because rookies Brandon Jackson (97 rushing yards, 1 TD) and DeShawn Wynn (67 rushing yards, 2 TD) are not cutting it. McCarthy devised a scheme last week to contain Chargers Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman, having the line pass block man-to-man for practically the entire game with an empty backfield. The ground game was snubbed because of it, but McCarthy will take the win over last-place numbers any day.
Tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher did an excellent job of protecting Favre and shutting down Merriman. This week they will get a taste of Vikings defensive linemen Kevin Williams and Ray Edwards. Linebacker Chad Greenway leads Minnesota with 25 tackles and helped shut down Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, who amassed just 42 yards on 24 carries.
Favre's arm and wide receiver Donald Driver are the biggest offensive weapons for Green Bay and the reason why the Packers are ranked sixth in the NFL with 272.3 yards through the air. Driver (265 yards, 2 TD) has been the go-to guy in Green Bay for several years and makes the highlight reels with his ability to pick up more yards after the catch. The Pro Bowl wideout, who has a catch in 83 straight games, has enjoyed some success against Minnesota in his career. He owns 39 receptions, 650 yards and five touchdowns over his last five meetings with the Vikings, and recorded a career-best 191 receiving yards, including an 82-yard touchdown catch, in Green Bay's win at the Metrodome last season. Jennings (82 yards, 1 TD), James Jones (183 yards) and tight end Donald Lee (106 yards, TD) are also at Favre's disposal.
The Vikings rank 20th against the pass in 2007 and have some talented defensive backs ready for this week's challenge. Safeties Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith and cornerbacks Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin make up the Minnesota secondary, which was burnt through the air in Kansas City last week. Winfield said this week that he wants to cover Driver the entire game because he is tired of opposing teams picking on Minnesota's inexperienced corners -- Griffin and rookie Marcus McCauley. Winfield has one of five interceptions for the Vikings this season.
WHEN THE VIKINGS HAVE THE BALL
If Tarvaris Jackson (329 passing yards, TD, 5 INT) is unable to go on Sunday because of his injured groin, Holcomb will make his second straight start. Holcomb was acquired by the Vikings in a trade with Philadelphia before the season started and finished 14-for-28 for 165 yards against Kansas City. He guided the Vikings to their only touchdown on the team's first possession. Holcomb was sacked five times by the Chiefs and never had a steady chance to hit his wide receivers. Bobby Wade (97 yards) leads the team with 10 catches and had four for 35 yards on Sunday. With wide receiver Troy Williamson (42 yards) nursing a hamstring injury last week, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe (69 yards) collected 51 yards on three receptions. Even though Green Bay is 15th against the pass this season, Packers talented corners Charles Woodson and Al Harris will be ready for Minnesota's 28th-ranked passing attack. Minnesota has scored only three touchdowns this season under Childress.
Rookie running back Adrian Peterson is doing all he can for the Vikings, as he leads the team with 160 yards on eight catches and has scored the team's only receiving touchdown. Peterson (271 rushing yards, 1 TD) ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries against Kansas City, eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark for the second time in three games this season. The former Oklahoma standout leads the 10th-rated rush attack in the NFL and will get his first taste of the rival Packers. Peterson is the top rookie running back in the NFL this season and is second in the NFC with 431 yards from scrimmage. It's been a one-man show at running back in Minnesota ever since former starter Chester Taylor (18 yards) injured his hip in Week 1, with Mewelde Moore (71 rushing yards) giving Peterson some breathers here and there. Taylor's status is uncertain for Sunday's big showdown, although it appears as he'll be available in some capacity. That would be a welcome addition for the Vikes, who need to keep their rookie stud runner fresh and healthy through the season.
Packers star linebackers Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk and safety Atari Bigby each have 20 or more tackles already this season. Barnett leads the bunch with 27, while Bigby is second with 24 and Hawk has 20. Green Bay did an excellent job in shutting down perhaps the best player in the NFL, Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, last week. Tomlinson ended with 62 yards on 22 touches. The high-powered San Diego offense had to settle on passing most of the day. Minnesota will not be doing much of that this weekend, so Green Bay can expect a healthy dose of Peterson.
FANTASY FOCUS
The only way Minnesota can win this game is with its defense and Peterson, who has been all smiles for fantasy owners who took a chance on the rookie early in drafts. His numbers already speak volumes of what he is capable of doing this season and for the rest of his career, barring any unfortunate setback. The sad thing is that Peterson is the only Vikings player with a shade of fantasy value. When Williamson returns at full strength, then maybe the Vikes will have two impact players for fantasy gurus. The only way an owner should be starting Tarvaris Jackson or Holcomb is if somebody didn't sign out of their account and was sabotaged by a member of the league.
Green Bay has a few fantasy-worthy players in Favre, Driver and the defense. Running back Brandon Jackson has been as reliable as former Eagles No. 1 pick Freddie Mitchell a few years ago. Favre is on a mission right now and Driver is his main weapon, so starting both of them will help this week. Both players also enjoy playing against the Vikings. Favre has won three of his last four visits to the Metrodome and has thrown 10 touchdown passes during that span.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Favre will get the record for most touchdown passes in a career on Sunday in Minneapolis, but it won't be easy. It seems almost everybody is on Green Bay's side this week except the Vikings, who will give the Packers fits with rookie Peterson. If Green Bay can put forth the same kind of defensive effort that stymied Tomlinson and San Diego last Sunday, Favre and the boys will be 4-0 for the first time in almost 10 years. This is why Favre returned for another season, and he won't go down without a fight. He never does, and neither does Driver. The pair have been the heart and soul of the Green Bay franchise for quite some time and have enjoyed a lot of history together. Minnesota's defense will be no match for the duo, at least not this week with the way the Packers have been playing. Expect Green Bay to stack the box in order to shut down Peterson, since Minnesota's passing attack has been miserable so far this season. The Vikings have been in the red zone just four times in 2007. The throwback uniforms the Vikings will wear on Sunday will not save them from their second 1-3 start in three years.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Packers 28, Vikings 24
09/27 19:30:34 ET
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By Shawn Clarke, NFL Contributing Editor
(Sports Network) - If any team has a shot at slowing down Brett Favre and the undefeated Green Bay Packers, it's a team that has faced the future Hall of Famer on several occasions. The division-rival Minnesota Vikings will take a swing at the high-flying Packers in a Week 4 battle this Sunday from the Metrodome.
While Green Bay is 3-0 and turning heads around the league, Favre is grabbing records along the way. Favre passed John Elway to become the NFL's all-time leader in wins by a quarterback with a Week 2 triumph over the Giants, then pulled within one touchdown pass of breaking Dan Marino's mark of 420 with three scoring strikes in a 31-24 victory over the Chargers last Sunday.
Favre, who has thrown 49 of his touchdown passes against Minnesota, just keeps adding to his Hall of Fame resume as the weeks go by, but he faces a tough task of beating the Vikings at the hostile Metrodome. The Vikings are desperate for a win following a 13-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last week and at 1-2, the team is tied with the Chicago Bears for last place in the NFC North.
Minnesota has also been experiencing major problems in the passing game. Vikings offensive-minded head coach Brad Childress invested a lot of time, patience and confidence in quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, but the signal-caller has yet to blossom. He missed last week's loss to Kansas City with a groin problem after two mediocre performances to start the season. The elusive Jackson then watched backup Kelly Holcomb make his first start since the end of the 2005 season in the Kansas City game.
It's not looking good right now for Minnesota, and it doesn't get any better with Favre and Co. in town searching for an eighth straight win dating back to last season. Yes, the division-leading Packers do have a weak running game so far this season, but are still in hot pursuit of their first 4-0 start since opening the 1998 season with four straight wins. Green Bay finished 11-5 that year before bowing out in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Maybe this time around the Lombardi Trophy will come back home.
SERIES HISTORY
Green Bay leads the all-time regular season series with Minnesota, which dates back to the 1961 season, 46-44-1. The Packers swept last year's home- and-home, scoring a 23-17 win at the Metrodome in Week 10 and a 9-7 victory at Lambeau Field in Week 16. The Vikings swept the home-and-home between the longtime division rivals in 2005.
Each of the last nine regular season games between the Packers and Vikings has been settled by six points or fewer, including six settled by three points or less.
The teams' only postseason meeting to date was the Vikings' 31-17 upset of the Packers at Lambeau Field in a 2004 NFC Wild Card game.
The Packers' Mike McCarthy has a 2-0 edge in his personal series against both the Vikings and Childress.
WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL
Favre (861 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT) was able to lead the Packers over a heavily- favored Chargers squad at Lambeau Field last week and completed 28 of his 45 attempts for 369 yards and three touchdowns. His 57-yard touchdown bomb to Greg Jennings in the fourth quarter lifted Green Bay to victory and tied him with Marino's for the most touchdown passes in league history. Favre, who has passed for 300 yards 49 times in his career, is still not getting the proper protection needed to be comfortable in the pocket. He was sacked twice against San Diego and seven times so far in 2007. The offensive line is another reason why the running game is the worst in the NFL at 57.0 yards per contest.
Green Bay certainly misses running back Ahman Green, who signed with the Texans in the offseason, because rookies Brandon Jackson (97 rushing yards, 1 TD) and DeShawn Wynn (67 rushing yards, 2 TD) are not cutting it. McCarthy devised a scheme last week to contain Chargers Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman, having the line pass block man-to-man for practically the entire game with an empty backfield. The ground game was snubbed because of it, but McCarthy will take the win over last-place numbers any day.
Tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher did an excellent job of protecting Favre and shutting down Merriman. This week they will get a taste of Vikings defensive linemen Kevin Williams and Ray Edwards. Linebacker Chad Greenway leads Minnesota with 25 tackles and helped shut down Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, who amassed just 42 yards on 24 carries.
Favre's arm and wide receiver Donald Driver are the biggest offensive weapons for Green Bay and the reason why the Packers are ranked sixth in the NFL with 272.3 yards through the air. Driver (265 yards, 2 TD) has been the go-to guy in Green Bay for several years and makes the highlight reels with his ability to pick up more yards after the catch. The Pro Bowl wideout, who has a catch in 83 straight games, has enjoyed some success against Minnesota in his career. He owns 39 receptions, 650 yards and five touchdowns over his last five meetings with the Vikings, and recorded a career-best 191 receiving yards, including an 82-yard touchdown catch, in Green Bay's win at the Metrodome last season. Jennings (82 yards, 1 TD), James Jones (183 yards) and tight end Donald Lee (106 yards, TD) are also at Favre's disposal.
The Vikings rank 20th against the pass in 2007 and have some talented defensive backs ready for this week's challenge. Safeties Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith and cornerbacks Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin make up the Minnesota secondary, which was burnt through the air in Kansas City last week. Winfield said this week that he wants to cover Driver the entire game because he is tired of opposing teams picking on Minnesota's inexperienced corners -- Griffin and rookie Marcus McCauley. Winfield has one of five interceptions for the Vikings this season.
WHEN THE VIKINGS HAVE THE BALL
If Tarvaris Jackson (329 passing yards, TD, 5 INT) is unable to go on Sunday because of his injured groin, Holcomb will make his second straight start. Holcomb was acquired by the Vikings in a trade with Philadelphia before the season started and finished 14-for-28 for 165 yards against Kansas City. He guided the Vikings to their only touchdown on the team's first possession. Holcomb was sacked five times by the Chiefs and never had a steady chance to hit his wide receivers. Bobby Wade (97 yards) leads the team with 10 catches and had four for 35 yards on Sunday. With wide receiver Troy Williamson (42 yards) nursing a hamstring injury last week, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe (69 yards) collected 51 yards on three receptions. Even though Green Bay is 15th against the pass this season, Packers talented corners Charles Woodson and Al Harris will be ready for Minnesota's 28th-ranked passing attack. Minnesota has scored only three touchdowns this season under Childress.
Rookie running back Adrian Peterson is doing all he can for the Vikings, as he leads the team with 160 yards on eight catches and has scored the team's only receiving touchdown. Peterson (271 rushing yards, 1 TD) ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries against Kansas City, eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark for the second time in three games this season. The former Oklahoma standout leads the 10th-rated rush attack in the NFL and will get his first taste of the rival Packers. Peterson is the top rookie running back in the NFL this season and is second in the NFC with 431 yards from scrimmage. It's been a one-man show at running back in Minnesota ever since former starter Chester Taylor (18 yards) injured his hip in Week 1, with Mewelde Moore (71 rushing yards) giving Peterson some breathers here and there. Taylor's status is uncertain for Sunday's big showdown, although it appears as he'll be available in some capacity. That would be a welcome addition for the Vikes, who need to keep their rookie stud runner fresh and healthy through the season.
Packers star linebackers Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk and safety Atari Bigby each have 20 or more tackles already this season. Barnett leads the bunch with 27, while Bigby is second with 24 and Hawk has 20. Green Bay did an excellent job in shutting down perhaps the best player in the NFL, Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, last week. Tomlinson ended with 62 yards on 22 touches. The high-powered San Diego offense had to settle on passing most of the day. Minnesota will not be doing much of that this weekend, so Green Bay can expect a healthy dose of Peterson.
FANTASY FOCUS
The only way Minnesota can win this game is with its defense and Peterson, who has been all smiles for fantasy owners who took a chance on the rookie early in drafts. His numbers already speak volumes of what he is capable of doing this season and for the rest of his career, barring any unfortunate setback. The sad thing is that Peterson is the only Vikings player with a shade of fantasy value. When Williamson returns at full strength, then maybe the Vikes will have two impact players for fantasy gurus. The only way an owner should be starting Tarvaris Jackson or Holcomb is if somebody didn't sign out of their account and was sabotaged by a member of the league.
Green Bay has a few fantasy-worthy players in Favre, Driver and the defense. Running back Brandon Jackson has been as reliable as former Eagles No. 1 pick Freddie Mitchell a few years ago. Favre is on a mission right now and Driver is his main weapon, so starting both of them will help this week. Both players also enjoy playing against the Vikings. Favre has won three of his last four visits to the Metrodome and has thrown 10 touchdown passes during that span.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Favre will get the record for most touchdown passes in a career on Sunday in Minneapolis, but it won't be easy. It seems almost everybody is on Green Bay's side this week except the Vikings, who will give the Packers fits with rookie Peterson. If Green Bay can put forth the same kind of defensive effort that stymied Tomlinson and San Diego last Sunday, Favre and the boys will be 4-0 for the first time in almost 10 years. This is why Favre returned for another season, and he won't go down without a fight. He never does, and neither does Driver. The pair have been the heart and soul of the Green Bay franchise for quite some time and have enjoyed a lot of history together. Minnesota's defense will be no match for the duo, at least not this week with the way the Packers have been playing. Expect Green Bay to stack the box in order to shut down Peterson, since Minnesota's passing attack has been miserable so far this season. The Vikings have been in the red zone just four times in 2007. The throwback uniforms the Vikings will wear on Sunday will not save them from their second 1-3 start in three years.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Packers 28, Vikings 24
09/27 19:30:34 ET
BUY NFLTICKETS
Ravens Tickets
Steelers Tickets
Raiders Tickets
Eagles Tickets
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NFL Poll
Will the Saints make the playoffs?
Yes
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