NFL Prediction League

[Onyxmeth]

Sqrl said:

Posted on ESPN's NFC North page:

 

 

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota is the best team in the NFC North, and right now it’s not close.

That’s where I stand after seeing all four division teams play this week. Chicago has played decently since its opening-week loss at Green Bay. But no one has beaten anyone from a physical standpoint as much as the Vikings defeated the Packers on Monday.

Let me correct that. The Vikings didn’t just beat the Packers. They beat ‘em up.

Yes, I know quarterback Brett Favre will grab all the headlines after a sharp -- and emotionally controlled-- performance. Favre finished with a near-perfect passer rating after completing 24 of 31 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns.

But this game was decided just as much by the way the Vikings’ defensive front just absolutely throttled the Packers. Favre protégé Aaron Rodgers finished with some good-looking final numbers, completing 26 of 37 passes for 384 yards and two touchdowns, but the Vikings sacked him eight times and had him dancing in the pocket for most of the game. Defensive end Jared Allen led the way with 4.5 sacks.

It was nothing new for the Packers, who entered Week 4 having given up an NFL-high 12 sacks. There might have only been a seven-point difference on the scoreboard, but there seemed to me to be a much bigger gap between these two teams.

 

 

After having watched the game I really have to agree with this as far as the Packers are concerned (and not just because I'm a Vikings fan).  With the exception of 3 or 4 plays (such as Clay Mathew's strip return for a TD) the packers were physically dominated the entire game. All of their 2nd half points came after Minnesota had moved into prevent defense and were essentially just running the clock out and only trying to stop the big plays (which was a terrible decision imo by MIN).

The only caveat I would add to what he said is that it really has nothing to do with Rodgers who I think did what he needed to do but was let down by his defense, his offensive line, and (given the endzone drops) his recievers.   Maybe some of that is a leadership issue (impossible to know for sure) but where it concerned doing his job on the field I think Rodgers was more than solid under the circumstances.

I think that's a bit premature considering the Vikings haven't faced the Bears yet, who are also on fire currently. The Bears had one week of jitters and have been flying since then. Favre had his own jitters week one and week two but had the benefit of a lighter opening week and a monster in Peterson.

I'm not going to take anything away from their victory against the Packers, but let's be real. No one thought the Packs were winning this game going in, so obviously this isn't the type of matchup that was supposed to test them. Yes, they dominated the GB O-line, but so did everybody else. They still allowed over 300 yards passing, and kept Green Bay in the game until the final minutes.

Bottom line, when they meet the Bears, we'll see who's the best. Until then, they can share the spotlight. What they should be talking about is those G-Men and how they're standing alone in their division right now. Funny that the team that was supposed to have one of the most problematic passing games coming into this season has produced the single most productive receiver of the year in Steve Smith and another top 5 talent in Mario Manningham. The only team with a comparable tandem is the other Manning boy and his Wayne/Clark combo.