Vikings Message Board.Com

@RandBall .@oliviamunn had all-time #sickburn tweet for a writer questioning whether she's reason #packers Rodgers struggles http://strib.mn/1SIGcKQ

As I studied the film of the Minnesota Vikings in preparation for their big divisional matchup with the reeling Green Bay Packers, I was forced to abandon a lot of the preseason assumptions of what the Vikes would be.

I thought the return of star running back Adrian Peterson would make rising star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a better quarterback by osmosis. A year ago the Vikings had a scant running game and Bridgewater had to shoulder much of the offensive weight. Teams would presumably now pack the box against Peterson and Bridgewater would have a weekly field day, picking apart over-committing defenses in play-action bliss.

That hasn't been the case.

I also thought the return of Peterson would provide the perfect complement for players to shine on a roster filled with players who aren't as proficient in the technical aspects of the game but with monster big-play upside -- like receivers Mike Wallace and Cordarrelle Patterson and tight end Kyle Rudolph.

That hasn't been the case either, with the three ranging from modest-to-no roles in the Vikings offense.

I'm not surprised Minnesota is 7-2. I'm not surprised Peterson is leading the NFL in rushing by over 200 yards. Based off those two facts alone, the assumption would be the Minnesota Vikings are winning games with a strong running game.

But that's not really the case, either.

It's not as simple as saying "stop the Vikings' run game and you win." The key to beating the Vikings is to not beat yourself with turnovers, blown coverages, mental errors, poor run fits and the like.

It takes a day of smart, relatively mistake-free football to beat this particular Vikings team, the kind of game the Packers haven't played in nearly a month.

Mothman wrote:A very interesting read (although it could have used an editor):

How Minnesota Vikings can beat Green Bay Packers and take control of NFC North by Matt Chatham


More at the link.

Jordysghost wrote:I find Rodgers GF quite overrated, idk what it is about dating a QB that makes people pretend you are stunningly gorgeous.

3. The Vikings' defensive line can control the game: Linval Joseph, who won NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 8, has been one of the best nose tackles in the league this season. He's helped the Vikings rank fifth in the league against the run after the San Francisco 49ers shredded them for 230 yards in Week 1, and he's flanked by two defensive tackles (Sharrif Floyd and Tom Johnson) who can get to the quarterback. With James Starks having surpassed Eddie Lacy as the No. 1 running back, the Packers' ground game has been in flux. And if the Vikings can keep the Packers in third-and-long situations, they'll have opportunities to blitz Rodgers -- as teams have been doing more often lately -- without as much fear of him burning them downfield. Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer talked about the importance of preventing Rodgers from escaping the pocket, where he's at his most dangerous, but the Packers' offensive line hasn't protected Rodgers as well this season, and the Vikings might be able to rattle him more than usual.

@markcraignfl Rodgers' career passer rating: 105.8. Rodgers' passer rating in four games against Zimmer's defenses: 92.9.

dead_poet wrote:

Norv Zimmer wrote:I have always liked Olivia since g4 days too. Probably because she likes video games. A good looking chick who seems cool and likes video games, that's one of my dream girls.

Mothman wrote:Vikes fans: watch the video at this link. You'll enjoy it, especially Maurice Jones-Drew's comments at the end:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... atter-what