This is the team I do NOT want GB to face in Rd 1 of Playoff

[the_idle_threat]

Esoxx, I think you're right that the Vikings have a puncher's chance in a playoff game, particularly due to their very good run offense and outstanding run defense.

But the playoffs are where coaching really shows up, and IMO that doesn't favor the Vikings. Especially against the Packers.

And it remains to be seen whether AP will be the same back after being hurt and playing with a knee brace. I think he'll be the same back eventually, but it might take an offseason of healing before that happens.

That's why I think they'll be very beatable in the playoffs.

[esoxx]

Esoxx, I think you're right that the Vikings have a puncher's chance in a playoff game, particularly due to their very good run offense and outstanding run defense.

But the playoffs are where coaching really shows up, and IMO that doesn't favor the Vikings. Especially against the Packers.

Didn't Barry Switzer win a Super Bowl? He was a wing-nut. Pretty good college coach (read: dirty program/elicit recruting) but he didn't have both oars in the water.

How did Forrest Gregg lead a team to the Super Bowl? Anyone know what Jim Fassel is up to?

As conceded, I agree the coaching matchup will not favor the Vikings. I'm actually very comfortable w/ Chilly being their coach, especially from a Packer fan's perspective.

[the_idle_threat]

Switzer? :P

Luckiest guy in sports. Goes down as a Super Bowl champion when you or I could have coached that veteran star-laden team to a championship.

I thought Fassel was a decent coach, though, even if he was a little screwy. But what the hell do I know?

[HarveyWallbangers]

And with all the huffing and puffing, no one has addressed, or even tried to refute, my original points:

The Minnesota Vikings

1. Hard to beat the same team three times in one season (see 2004).

2. They have a solid run defense.

3. They have a solid run offense.

4. The playoffs typically are about running the ball and stopping the run (see above).

5. They possess a special player that can dominate a game.

I don't think #4 is so much the case anymore. Seems to be the other way around nowadays. Teams that can pass are the teams that win the most.

I don't want to play them just because it would suck since I live in Minnesota. That would mean they made the playoffs and won a 1st round playoff game. I don't think they necessarily scare me anymore than the Bucs, Seahawks, Saints, Eagles, or Redskins. Every game in the playoffs is tough to win.

[esoxx]

I probably have too much respect for AP and his abilities. And they route NYG on the road w/o him, of all things. That should at least give pause. Say what you will how they won or whatever, but at the end of the day it was a pretty one-sided affair and they controlled the Giants handily.

I'll take my foot off the Vikings gas pedal now before someone questions my fandom again. Just remember you've been forewarned.

I want a Purple-free January.

[GrnBay007]

I probably have too much respect for AP and his abilities. And they route NYG on the road w/o him, of all things. That should at least give pause. Say what you will how they won or whatever, but at the end of the day it was a pretty one-sided affair and they controlled the Giants handily.

I'll take my foot off the Vikings gas pedal now before someone questions my fandom again. Just remember you've been forewarned.

I want a Purple-free January.

I want a Purple-free Jan. too!!

But.....

You have to give some of the credit of the Viking win to Eli's meltdown.

[MadtownPacker]

Whata bunch of scared lil batches.

The only team that can hang with the Packers is dallas. I hope the bears make the playoff and have to come to Lambeau. They wont get the gifts James Jones gave them last time. What they will get is a grade A asskicking for payback.

[run pMc]

I think 8-8 for MIN is possible, but I'm not sure if that's going to get them into the playoffs with other tiebreakers considered. I think WAS might go in the tank with the Taylor shooting. I don't think CHI will make it, and I think DET will slide, but you still have other teams in the hunt (PHI, ARI, NYG).

It's not a gimme that MIN will get in. They beat SD pretty good, beat OAK by a TD, and benefitted from a maddening day by Eli. As one of the columnists pointed out, most of MIN's wins have been the result of extraordinary play: a pair of 200+ yard games by AD and a 3TD game from the MIN D. That's not likely to happen in the playoffs, where the defenses will key on AD and force Tavaris Jackson to make plays instead of "managing the game".

I do think MIN has a good run O & D, but I think GB's special teams, pass O & D, and coaching are superior. Our run D isn't terrible, either, and Grant showed enough to garner some respect.

Even if AD comes back and carries them into the playoffs, I wonder if he's ever played on a tundra before. Plus, if they start feeding him the ball 20-30 times again, will he stay healthy?

A first round bye and a home game are important. I doubt many teams (even CHI or PHI) would want to travel to GB to play in January.