Moving On

Lingering thoughts on the loss to Pittsburgh:

-The Steelers did not outplay us. We didn't outplay them either, but it was an even game that could have gone either way. If Dugan doesn't have that tripping call go against him, which was a brutal call, we score on that play and they don't have the fumble recovery for a touchdown. That play put us in a big hole, but we charged back and probably still would have won the game if Chester Taylor makes that screen play catch, which he makes nine times out of ten. So yes, Pittsburgh got the win, but if the Vikings were to play them again, I'd bet on the Vikings.

-Players stepped up in this game. Adrian Peterson, who any Vikings fan already loves, had a sweet game, going for 69 yards rushing, and another 60 receiving, including one amazing play where he steamrolled William Gay. Percy Harvin, who is looking more and more like he's going to be a permanent fixture as a stud on this team, went for 3 catches for 42 yards and one perfectly timed 88 yard kick off return touchdown that gave us a chance when it looked like there would be none. Sidney Rice has been on fire over the past two games. Coming off a six reception game for 176 yards against the Ravens, Rice put up ten receptions for 136 yards against the Steelers, including a drive saving first down where he he had to elevate, make the catch, and somehow manage to get both feet in bounds before being shoved out. Our playmakers are doing just that and it is fun to watch and making me want to go out and buy all their jerseys. Speaking of jerseys, you can tell if your team is any good by the variety of jerseys being worn by the fans. If the team is pretty sucky, then there is usually only one or maybe two decent jerseys that you will seen worn regularly from that team. But, if a team is good, like we are this year, you have all sorts of quality jerseys to wear proudly around. We've got AP, Favre, Harvin, Rice, and Allen all being worn with regularity.

-Favre got hit the most of any game so far. There is nothing really to say about this. He didn't get injured and he is fine to play, but it is nerve wracking to see him get hit a lot. He is our season. Our offense being successful revolves around him being healthy. Favre has been sacked 18 times so far. Guess how many times Peyton Manning has been sacked? Twice. This has to be a priority for us because we cannot afford to have Favre go down.

On to Green Bay:

First of all, this game matters for more reasons than just Favre squaring off against his old team and being back at Lambeau for the first time. This game is to secure our position as the front runners in the NFC North. If the Packers win they will draw within a half game of us and could tie us up during our bye week next week. Plus, things will look vastly different at 7-1 for us heading into our bye than at 6-2 working with a two game losing streak. We need to build some positive momentum back up.

This Green Bay game is coming at the right time for Jared Allen. Allen had a pretty brutal game last week, and was nearly totally ineffective as a pass rusher. He had two tackles for the game, no sacks, and one pass deflection. Last time against Green Bay though Allen was a monster, recording 4.5 sacks that game. We need him to be a force again in this game. Aaron Rodgers is a good quarterback and will be able to pick us apart if we can't get pressure on him, especially since we have Winfield out for the second straight week.

Speaking of injuries, they are listing Bernard Berrian, Percy Harvin, and Darius Reynaud as questionable for the Green Bay game. Harvin suffered from an illness this week, and Berrian and Reynaud both have hamstring issues. Harvin will play. He is tough, and there is no way being sick during the week is going to hold him back for this game. It is doubtful that Berrian or Reynaud will though, especially with the bye week coming up to really make sure they are at 100% before they do come back. Our passing game isn't quite at full force without Berrian, who with his speed is our best deep threat and can routinely turn quick passes at the line of scrimmage into five or ten yard gains. We are really missing Reynaud's playmaking ability on the punt returns, and the sooner he can come back the better. I used to be under the illusion that Reynaud and Jaymar Johnson were pretty much the same player, but Johnson has done little to nothing on the punt returns the past couple games and Reynaud looked like he was ready to break one for a touchdown just about every time he touched the ball on a return in his last game.

I expect Favre to have a big game today and for us to come out of Lambeau with a big win to go to 7-1 on the season. I think it is entirely possible that Favre will break Brady's record of five touchdown passes in a quarter, every quarter this game. Meaning, 6,7,8, and 9 touchdown passes, adding up to a total of 30 touchdown passes for Favre today. Throw in another 3 touchdown runs for Adrian, and we will probably win today with a final score of 231-24. Should be fun.