Protecting Aaron Rodgers on the blindside from players like Jared Allen (mullet or no mullet) will be key to the Packers success in 2013.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

In May of 2010 the sports world was shocked to hear that Jared Allen made the decision to cut off his mullet. Now, three years later, there has been an announcement on his twitter account that he is growing it back

He cut off the locks in advance of his wedding, thus meeting a key requirement for all long-term and healthy marriages. It is a well-known fact that I just made up that 80 percent of all failed marriages involve at least one mullet. This fabricated statistic is made even worse when one includes the mulletted gentlemen that lure women away from otherwise mulletless marriages.

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen sacks Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Allen’s decision to cut the mullet was obviously made with the quality and longevity of his marriage in mind, though on the surface it appeared at the time to be a clear betrayal of self and team. After all, it was then feared that his numbers would decline under the theory that his strength was housed in his hair. Another theory suggested that Allen’s soul resided in his mullet, and that after his de-mulletting he would become a flesh eating monster, slogging through the upper Midwest with an insatiable hunger for human meat.

The latter theory proved to be at least partially untrue. But what of the former? Will Allen suddenly regain lost strength and speed with the cultivation of his back-head fur? And if so, what does this mean for the Packers in terms of strategy?

Fortunately, the Packers have already been shifting quality bodies over to Allen’s side of the line (this was announced in advance of the Allen declaration, suggesting that the Packers may have some good intelligence operatives in place over there, so keep that under your hat — loose lips sink ships, and stuff).

With McCarthy recently moving Brian Bulaga and Josh Sitton (the strength of the offensive line) over to cover Aaron Rodgers’s blindside, Rodgers should hopefully have a bit more time to unload the ball. It is also possible that if the Packers do place a bit more emphasis on the run game (as it now appears), or at least show more home run ability from the running back position, opportunities for pass rushing may decline on the Viking’s side of the ball.

Green Bay Packers tackle Bryan Bulaga. Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Is this enough to counter the Vikings’ strategy of growing out their hair?

I, for one, am too concerned about looking foolish and uninformed to hazard a guess. We will just have to wait and see.

For the record, and not that anyone should be surprised, Allen’s numbers average out pretty well with or without the mullet. During his Vikings years, he averaged 14.5 sacks a year with the mullet, and 15 without. He accounted for 38 percent of team sacks with the mullet, and 35 percent without. The team averaged 39.5 sacks per year with, and 41.7 without.

These differences are statistically insignificant. It turns out the hair does not make the man’s sack numbers. While we will have to wait and see about Allen regrowing his soul, from a performance standpoint (unfortunately) it will likely be the same old Jared Allen.

At least we can rest assured that the Packers current plan makes more sense than my suggestion: suiting up Marshal Newhouse in a pair of acid washed mom jeans (1987’s toughest jeans) to counteract 1987’s most powerful hairstyle.

Giving Aaron Rodgers alleys in which to throw through is the offensive line's responsibility. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

When Marshall Newhouse was escorted off the Lambeau Field turf by Green Bay Packers’ medical personnel near the end of the team’s scrimmage Friday night, it wasn’t a good sight.

While the Packers’ offensive line starters, from left to right, are solid, any kind of injury to any of them places the team in jeopardy. When Newhouse went down, the Packers had to reach deep into the bench for replacements. Yes, it’s only the first week of Training Camp and it’s certainly not time to roll into panic mode, but the depth on the line must be recognized.

Behind Marshall is last year’s first round draft choice, Derek Sherrod, who has been a project and is coming back from a broken leg he suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs near the end of last season. Andrew Datko, a seventh round pick this year is also a project and coming off a couple of surgeries to his shoulders.

Behind them are the likes of Tommie Draheim and Don Barclay, two other rookies, are trying to make the team.

Needless to say, the experience on the line beyond the starters is minimal. When you’re trying to cobble together a unit that’s responsible for protecting the league’s Most Valuable Player, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Couple that with a unit that has to try to put together a consistent rushing game – at least enough of a rush to keep the Peppers and Allens at bay – the Packers have their work cut out.

It’s inevitable that there will be injuries along the line. Rarely, if ever, does a team make it through an entire season with its offensive and defensive lines intact. So, when the injuries occur, the next man in line has to step in without a discernible drop-off.

Packers guard T.J. Lang knows all about stepping in. He did so last year when the Packers lost Daryn Colledge to free agency. Here’s what he had to say when Newhouse went down during the scrimmage:

“But we have a young offensive line and that’s what we’re trying to do in training camp. We’re trying to get as many guys ready to play as we can. Injuries are part of the game. The next man has to step up, go out there and play. If somebody goes down, that’s what we’ll have to do.”

In theory, he’s right. Let’s hope that in practice, he’s also right.

That’s why I was drawn to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  writer Tom Silverstein’s recent posting of interesting numbers.

I think you will find these numbers interesting, too.

Take a look:

PACKERS

28 Yards receiver Donald Driver needs to reach 10,000 in his career.

81 Interceptions the defense has since coordinator Dom Capers took over in 2009.

14 Holding penalties the team has, fourth-fewest in the NFL.

69-3 Touchdowns to interceptions quarterback Aaron Rodgers has thrown in the regular season during his career.

6.2 Yards per play the defense is allowing, tied for New England for the most in the NFL.

NFC NORTH

15 Combined margin of defeat in the Chicago Bears’ three-game losing streak.

265 Penalty yards the Detroit Lions have lost over their last three games.

7 Quarters in which the Bears have not scored during the three games Caleb Hanie has started at quarterback.

17 Rushing first downs the Minnesota Vikings had against Detroit last week, their most in a single game this season even though running back Adrian Peterson didn’t play.

75 Consecutive games Vikings end Jared Allen has started, the most of any active player at his position.

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Jared Allen and the Minnesota Vikings have sunk to levels not seen from the franchise in some time.

The last time the Green Bay Packers played the Minnesota Vikings I found myself feeling a little sorry for the Vikings players and fans. While watching the game I came to the realization that the Vikings are made up of Jared Allen and 21 other players who would struggle to be back-ups on the Packers.

Okay, maybe Adrian Peterson could start for the Packers, too.

A couple of days later I ran into a fellow parent at elementary school parent-teacher night. He was wearing a Vikings jacket and I was wearing a Packers coat. I called out in a friendly fashion, “Hey, Vikings fan!” expecting that when he turned around we could engage in typical your-team-sucks banter.

Instead he turned, saw the green and gold, and hung his head.

I felt bad.

I walked up to the Vikings fan, put my hand on his shoulder and said, “Maybe Christian Ponder will turn into a great quarterback.” He seemed a little encouraged, but it left me wondering what has happened to the once proud Vikings? Are the years of mediocrity and near misses finally starting to take their toll? Are the Vikings really going to move to a new city because of stadium issues?

I, for one, hope not. I love the Packers-Vikings rivalry almost as much as the Packers-Bears rivalry.

Oddly, during last Sunday’s blowout win against the Raiders I had no feelings of sadness for the Raiders players or fans. I gleefully cheered when the Packers went ahead 31 to nothing before the half. 31-0!

Bahhahaha!

Carson Palmer?

Hahaha.

Another Raiders penalty?

Ha! Go Pack Go!

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There are those who are brutally honest about the happenings in the game. Some are witty and some just plain deadpan.

I thought it might be fun to give just a taste of what was posted last night during the Vikings vs. Packers game.

Enjoy.

Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky)
11/14/11 6:00 PM
The scene from Lambeau Field before tonight’s #Packers-#Vikings game. pic.twitter.com/LIcqUYmA
Green Bay Packers (@packers)
11/14/11 7:46 PM
Cobb first rookie in GB history to have a 100-yard KR, 80-yard PR in same season.

Green Bay Packers (@packers)
11/14/11 8:01 PM
Packers up 14-0, 5:02 remain in 1Q. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 4:53 time of possession. 24-yard TD pass to Jennings

See more after the jump …

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The Viking Age's Dan Zinski (no, that's not him in the photo) answered some questions posed by Lombardiave.com. In return, we answered some of his questions. We will post those answers here soon.

We here at Lombardiave.com caught up with Dan Zinski of The Viking Age for a Vikings vs. Packers Q&A focusing on Monday night’s showdown between the unbeaten Green Bay Packers and 2-6 Minnesota Vikings.

As always, Dan’s deep insight into the Vikings provides for an interesting perspective.

Here’s how Dan sees things:

Q. The Vikings are coming off their two best games of the season against the Packers and Panthers, as well as the bye … Do you feel the team will continue to show improvement or will they go back to their old ways?

A. Hard to say. With Christian Ponder now at QB instead of McNabb you sort of feel like there should be a steady upward progression – as he improves the team should improve – but at the same time, they’ve been so inconsistent, plus they still have terrible problems in the offensive line and secondary.

Given their personnel issues I still think it’s going to be a struggle for them more often than not. Right now a 5-11 finish seems realistic. That’s only 3 more wins the rest of the way. Then again, there’s the feeling that had they started Ponder sooner, they might’ve pulled out a couple of those games they blew in the second half. I don’t know if that’s valid or not but you can’t help thinking of what might have been.

Maybe with Ponder in there they can overcome some of their other shortcomings, upset a couple teams and finish closer to .500.

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Aaron Rodgers and Jared Allen were both named as October Players of the Month in the NFC. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Good gosh, is it no doubt why the Packers have been the best team in the NFL during the first half of the season and Aaron Rodgers the best quarterback?

Just take a look at the NFC North Division … The Lions and the Bears are close behind the Packers, while even the Vikings have shown vast improvement the past couple of weeks.

In essence, it’s the competition that ultimately makes a championship team and the Packers play, without question, the toughest competition within its own division.

Clearly, it makes them better.

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Here are a few:

• Packers linebacker Frank Zombo appears to be out for Sunday’s game against the Vikings … that’s after just one game of action after being cleared to play from a previous broken collarbone.

• Greg Jennings said he loves going to other stadiums and hearing the “GO PACK GO! chant.

• Former Packer Will Blackmon got a tryout with the New York Giants.

• Sam Shields appears to be making progress with his concussion testing. However, whether he makes enough progress to play Sunday remains to be seen.

• With Zombo out, it appears So’oto may finally get his chance to play. Many in Packers nation have been waiting since his breakout game during the final preseason tilt against KC to see him play.

• T.O., according to his agent, is ready to play and went so far as to claim he could play this weekend. But I don’t see his door being broken down yet.

• Vikings defensive ends Allen and Robison have 14 sacks between them. The Packers young tackles will surely have their hands full.

• Packers rookie received Randall Cobb tweeted: “Did I just get followed home?”  Hmmmmm … maybe a bit paranoid?

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The loss of Chad Clifton to injury has opened the door for Derek Sherrod. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

With Chad Clifton out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, Derek Sherrod and Marshall Newhouse better be ready to play. In the next two weeks, Sherrod and Newhouse must block the likes of Chris Long for the St. Louis Rams, and Jared Allen for the Minnesota Vikings.

This far into the season, the two defensive ends have combined for 28 tackles and 11.5 sacks.

Chad Clifton will certainly be missed. He has been in the league for 12 years, all Green Bay, and has started nearly every game. In the past two drafts, the Packers spent their first round pick on tackles to eventually replace the aging Clifton and Mark Tauscher on the line.

Tauscher is gone already, and Clifton does not appear to have too many years left in him. The coming weeks will show Green Bay how they can fare in the years after Clifton retires, and pending the severity of his hamstring injury, that could very well be sooner rather than later.

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In the Packers Bye Week Report, I stated that the passing game is what really keeps Green Bay rolling on offense. Well, the passing game was sub-par against Minnesota. Aaron Rodgers really didn’t seem like his normal self, putting up a mere 142 yards on a 15-26 clip. He kept the ball with the offense, throwing no interceptions, but with no touchdowns that wasn’t enough. Especially when the opposing quarterback put up better than him. Gus Frerotte, a guy that would be standing on the sidelines for most teams, may have thrown three interceptions, but the positives made up for it. He threw 15-for-28, had 151 yards and threw two TD’s. In my book he had a much better day than Rodgers.

I also said in the Bye Week Report that Ryan Grant needed to pick the running game up, because when the passing game fails the team will need him. Today he ran better than he has been this season. Grant had 16 carries for 75 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and a scores, really keeping Green Bay alive when the ball was in their hands. But, like Rodgers, the guy on the Vikings outplayed him. Adrian Peterson almost had a 200-yard day. His 30-192 line had him averaging over six yards per carry, and he also scored. His stats easily pales Grant’s game. Without AP, Minnesota would still be searching for a win over the Packers.

But if there was one group of players to blame for this devastating loss, it has to be the offensive line. The typical holding calls and a false start moved the ball back, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The margin of the loss was one point, and you can credit the O-Line for giving up four. Trailing 10-7, Rodgers dropped back and lineman Kevin Williams penetrated and rushed Rodgers. The ball was hit, rolled into the endzone, and Rodgers made a smart play of forcing a safety instead of risking a Viking touchdown. Later in the first half, Jared Allen blew by the offensive line and brought down Rodgers for another safety. This did two things. The most obvious one is giving up four points, which could have been the key to Minnesota’s win. The second was giving the Vikings the ball and more possession time. In a game like this, it really didn’t help that the Packers had the ball 12:10 less than the Vikings. Even though Minnesota didn’t score on the drives resulting from the free kicks, they kept Rodgers and the gang off the field. If each team had equal possession time, it could have (and probably would have) been a different outcome.

After a Peterson-led drive with little time left in the game, the Vikings went on top, 28-27. Green Bay moved the ball downfield, and the last play of the game would be a 49-yard field goal by Mason Crosby. The game in a dome and it isn’t an impossible kick. The snap was good, the hold was good, and the kick was all but good. It seemed as though it could split the uprights, but at the last second the kick glided past the right goal post. Just off. Some people could be quick to judge the last play and say “if he would have made that kick, they would have won. Crosby’s fault.”, but the Packers were lucky that they even got in that situation. The way they were playing this game, it wasn’t all skill that took the offense to the 32-yard line.

So the game is over, and like in every week, win or lose you just have to move on. But unlike last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, there isn’t even a moral victory to take if they wanted to. Against Tennessee, Green Bay showed that they had a legit shot against any team in the NFL. Against Minnesota this past Sunday, they showed that they could give any team in the NFL a legit shot.

How can the Packers solve their problem? Well, here are three things they really need to do:

1) Make sure Rodgers passes well. As of right now, the team scores points when he has a good game. When he’s off, the offense struggles a bit more than usual. Just like when they had Favre, the passing game is a must for the green and gold.

2) Step up the running game. Grant needs some 100-yard games. He doesn’t need anything spectatular like AP just did, but to balance out the offense more, he needs to be more effective. The road will be less rocky when he puts up solid games.

3) Block! Without the two safties, Green Bay could have easily won that game. But the offensive line blew assingments when backed up against the ropes twice, and it came at a heavy price. Giving Grant holes, Rodgers time, and, well, relieving the pressure as a whole could really help.

Right now the defense is going somewhat smoothly, but the rush defense needs to pick up the pace. Unfortunately, veteran linebacker Nick Barnett tore a ligament in his leg during the game and is out for the rest of the season. The pass defense is great, but the rush defense is near the bottom of the league. Barnett being out makes things even worse, so the backup has to perform well and the defense all has to bail him and and step it up themselves if they want to succeed.

Looking ahead, at 4-5 Green Bay needs to play as close to perfect as they can. It’s a three-team race for the NFC North crown, and they are only one game out. In that aspect, it looks good, but a glance at the team’s upcoming games makes things seem a bit tougher. Up next is the Chicago Bears, who gave the Pack two of their three losses last year. Kyle Orton may be back, and the two games against the Bears are must-wins for Green Bay. After that are the New Orleans Saints, a team that is beatable. If they don’t give them the game, the Packers have a nice shot against the Saints. Three weeks from now, though, are the under-the-radar Carolina Panthers, who are shaping up to be one of the best teams in the NFC. Green Bay will have to play like they did agaisnt the Titans to outplay Carolina.

It seems like there will be plenty of drama coming up for the Packer Nation. The journey will be tough, and the team will have to play it’s best, but they can do it. 4-5 isn’t where they want to be, but it isn’t a place where they can’t improve from and win the division. Anything can happen; it just depends how the guys play on the field.

Coaching

Mike McCarthy really miffs me sometimes.  I give him props for owning up to making a mistake in challenging Adrian Peterson‘s touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, costing the Packers their second timeout, which would have been vital to a two-minute drill.  Having the second timeout would have given the Packers at least one more play, which would have allowed them another chance to get the ball closer for Mason Crosby.  No matter who the kicker is, I’d feel more comfortable with a 48-yarder than a 52-yarder.  Heck, a 50- or 51-yarder probably would have been good the way the ball was flying.

Tying into this, throwing a one-yard pass to Donald Driver with just over 30 seconds left on third-down was not the smartest decision on Aaron Rodgers‘ part and the play call was not the best on McCarthy’s.  I know the Vikings were bringing the house and if Driver breaks Madieu Williams‘ tackle, it’s a big gain, and Crosby’s field goal is a chip-shot.  However, a five-yard out along the sideline would have been a much better play call by McCarthy or a better throw by Rodgers.  I hate second guessing McCarthy, as I have tremendous respect for him, but that play just really left me scratching my head.

Another decision that I was really curious about was McCarthy going away from Ryan Grant and the running game.  Grant was having one of his better days, with 75 yards on 16 carries against a stout Vikings run D.  Earlier in the season, 16 carries would have barely netted Grant 20 yards against an average team, but Grant was showing that his stride is coming back.  McCarthy rode this horse to the NFC Championship Game a year ago; he needs to get back on it.  I love McCarthy was a coach, I have to say.  But that being said, he just makes some real head-scratching decisions.

Passing Game

Rodgers was fairly efficient in this game, completing 15 of 26 passes, but only for 142 yards and he could not connect with any of his receivers for a touchdown.  It would have also helped if he could have spent some more time on his feet.  The Vikings were in the backfield the whole entire game.  Jared Allen had two tackles, a sack, and helped force a critical safety.  Napoleon Harris was a human torpedo, leaping into the backfield on more than one occasion, getting a sack.  Linebacker Ben Leber probably had the hit of the game, as he absolutely laid-out (and I do mean absolutely laid-out) Rodgers as Rodgers attempted to go deep.  The Packers quarterback was visibly shaken up and you have to wonder how his shoulder has to be holding up after taking a beating like this.  I would say pass protection is the main reason that the passing game was struggling.  Chad Clifton was absolutely owned by Allen, and Scott Wells did not have a good game at center.

The Packers did bust out “The Big Five” for the first time this season, using the five-receiver set six times.  They netted four completions and 51 yards out of it, but it may have been counterproductive, exposing Rodgers to a vicious pass rush and some unnecessary hits.

Speaking of the wide receivers, the Packers star pass catchers were kept silent for most of Sunday.  Driver led all receivers with five receptions for 46 yards, including a great catch on a deflection during the Packers frantic two-minute drill.  Greg Jennings was shut down, catching only three passes for 37 yards.  He needs to have big games for the Packers to do well, and he was been neutralized in recent weeks.  One name appearing in the box score I haven’t seen in a while is James Jones.  Jones had one catch for five yards late in the game.  The second-year wide receiver was a key to the Packers early season success in early 2007, but has basically fallen off the map after his infamous two-fumble game against the Chicago Bears in Week 5.  I personally blame Brett Favre for Jones’ disappearance, but let’s not get into that.

Running Game

I just about covered this earlier.  Grant had a good game with 76 yards on the ground and a touchdown, but was basically written out of the game plan.  He needs to get going for the Packers to win.  It is absolutely imperative for Grant to have good games down the stretch for the Packers if they even want to make the playoffs, let alone win in them.  It was just total crap.  I know the Vikings have a great run defense that was holding Grant back and that the offensive line play was suspect, but give Grant the ball and let him make plays.

Pass Defense

The pass defense is what kept the Packers in the game for this one.  The secondary held Gus Frerotte to 151 pass yards on 15 completions out of 28 attempts.  The team picked him off three times, with Nick Collins returning one for a touchdown to cut the Vikings 21-10 lead to 21-17.  Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams also got in on the party.  Williams’ interception, however, was canceled out, as he gave up an early touchdown pass to Sidney Rice.  Williams foolishly gave up inside leverage on Rice near the goal line and Frerotte easily hit him for six.  Frerotte also had another touchdown pass to Chester Taylor after Taylor broke a Desmond Bishop tackle attempt and scampered for six.  Bishop was replacing Nick Barnett who had left with a knee injury.  Taylor was the Vikings’ lead receiver with four receptions for 84 yards with half coming on the aforementioned touchdown catch and run.  Peterson was the second-leading receiver with three catches for 33 yards.  Bobby Wade led all Vikings wide receivers with 24 yards on three receptions.  The Packers pass defense performed the best of all the units on Sunday.

Rush Defense

Can you say, “sieve?”  Well say it again, because that is what we were looking at folks.  The statline for Peterson: 30 rushes, 192 yards, one touchdown.  The Packers were absolutely gashed.  There is no way to really describe it, other than the fact Peterson was a man among boys, breaking tackles and turning gains of nothing into gains of something.  Just reading that statline should show how bad the Packers rush defense played.  There is really nothing else to say about it.  Young running backs seem to be the Achilles’ heel for the Packers: Peterson this week; Chris Johnson and LenDale White of the Tennessee Titans last week; how will Matt Forte of the Bears do next?

Special Teams

As I alluded to earlier, Crosby’s miss had a direct correlation to McCarthy’s timeout mismanagement and questionable play calling.  I trust Crosby’s leg moreso than any Packers kicker since Ryan Longwell.  People should not get down on the kid for missing this field goal.  It was makeable, but he missed.  Life goes on.  The Packers should have even been in this situation where they needed a game-winning field goal.  Why?  Field position.  The Packers took it somewhere oh so unpleasant on this facet of the game.  Their best field position came at the end of the game after a great kickoff return by Will Blackmon.  If the Packers field position had been better and they had not ended up with the ball inside the ten-yard line on numerous occasions for certain reasons (I’m looking at you, Blackmon), the Packers could have easily avoided those two safeties.  Take the safeties away, and what’s the score?  27-24.  Packers win.  But instead it was 28-27.  Packers lose.  So although I apologized to Blackmon yesterday for calling for bad things to be happing to him after his horrible decision and subsequent punt return for a touchdown, I’m not totally happy with him.  If he could get the ball out of deep in Packers territory, the safeties would have been avoided, causing at least a four-point swing.

The Packers could have come out of Minnesota with a 5-4 record and a share for the division lead.  Instead they come out 4-5, gasping for air and trying to stay above the water in the NFC North.

Week 1
Monday, September 8, 2008
Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
7 PM ET
ESPN

This game is what I would call “interesting.” Longtime Packers quarterback Brett Favre was supposed to get his number retired before the game, but whoopsie, someone unretired and is playing for the New York Jets. My biggest curiosity surrounding this game is whether or not ESPN is still going to relocate their entire studio from Bristol, CT to Green Bay. I say no because they will most likely be too busy fawning over Favre’s New York debut to realize that there is a Monday Night Football game on their network. But then again, they do have to be there to criticize every Aaron Rodgers misstep, Mike McCarthy bad call, every Ted Thompson nose pick, and every thing else they can find wrong that’s going on and continue criticizing the Packers after they win. Oops. Did I give it away?

I can see John Clayton or Merrill Hoge talking on NFL Live after the Packers have beaten the Vikings.

“The biggest problem with the Packers now is their lack of experience. They only have one start between their three quarterbacks. I mean that’s ridiculous.”

And remember, they’re going to say that after every Packers game this year. I can see it after Week 17:

“The biggest problem with the Packers is still their lack of experience. There are only 16 career starts between all three of their quarterbacks.”

And then once the Packers make the playoffs:

“The biggest problem with the Packers now is that none of the three quarterbacks on the roster have started a playoff game. How ridiculous is that?”

Hey, guys, you know there was this dude named something like Fav-ray or something and, like, he started for 16 years in Green Bay and, like, never missed a single game, in, like 253 career starts, 270-somethinf if you include playoffs, right?

“I have no recollection of the quarterback you are talking about.”

Anyway, I digress. Less about ESPN and more about the game.

This game signals the big-time debut of an NFC North quarterback rivalry that seems to be in place for years to come: Tarvaris Jackson vs. Rodgers. Both of these players are surrounded by talented casts of offensive weapons. The Vikings have Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor and future-free agent bust Bernard Berrian surrounding Jackson. The Packers have Ryan Grant, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and James Jones around Rodgers. Both of these defenses are top-notch as well. The Vikings acquired sack machine Jared Allen from the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason. The Packers have Aaron Kampman. Pretty even.

This game will come down to which quarterback makes the least amount of mistakes. Jackson has a full year of starting under his belt, while Rodgers has two preseason games. Both quarterbacks will be under the microscope for the whole season and will be scrutinized even more in front of a national audience. Rodgers will have a Lambeau Field boost, which should help ease the transition better than a hostile game in the Metrodome.

Matchups To Watch

Rodgers vs. the Vikings secondary: The Vikings secondary is full of ballhawks. Former Packer Darren Sharper mans the free safety spot and will be eying Rodgers the whole game, hoping to capitalize on a bad decision. And he will capitalize. The Vikings also brought in safety Madieu Williams in free agency from Cincinnati. Williams was probably one of the best players on Cincinnati’s defense. Which isn’t saying much. Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin will have all they can handle in Driver and Jennings.

Packers O-line vs. Vikings D-line: The O-line always used to be a strong point for the Packers. This preseason, not so much. Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton can handle or at least contain Allen and the Vikings defensive ends. The pressure falls on the interior lineman such as Scott Wells, Jason Spitz, Josh Sitton, and whoever else is in contention for a spot to contain Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. That will be a key to a Packers victory.

Vikings O-line vs. Packers D-line: The Vikings O-line is top notch. Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson make up a fantastic left side of the line. The Packers D-line lost Corey Williams to the Cleveland Browns and have had injury problems with Justin Harrell and Colin Cole at defensive tackle. There should be a sufficient pass rush on Jackson with Kampman and Cullen Jenkins. The trenches will most likely decide who wins this.

The Verdict: This is a tough decision. I’m going to take the Packers over the Vikings, 24-21. Yes, this is homerism shining through. But I do not see the Packers losing a Monday Night Football game at Lambeau to the hated Vikings. It’ll be close, but Rodgers will perform well enough to pull it out. Hell, maybe there will be a new “Monday Night Miracle.”

Packers record after Week 1: 1-0.