commentary,and trivia...

before we seriously talk about the Packers-Minnesota Vikings game,Sunday,let us go back to the last game between these two teams:Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson ran for 210 yards,on 21 carries(all in first 3 quarters),and before you blame Peterson for the loss(you can not,period),you must think of the fourth quarter,in Green Bay... quarterback Aaron Rodgers,and the Packers had an eleven minute scoring drive,to start the fourth quarter(ended by a Mason Crosby field goal)and a nine point lead,for the Packers,that took a great rushing day from Peterson,out of the Vikings' hands,and forced a sub-par Christian Ponder to pass,and made the Vikings one dimensional,in last four minutes... the Vikings' win,against the Chicago Bears,last weekend,showed me something about the overall health of the Vikings' offense... the Bears stopped Peterson for around 85 yards,all day,but Ponder showed up,and did in the Bears' "vaunted" defense,which has not shown up the last half,of this season(more on that later)... the somewhat still banged up Packers decimated the Tennessee Titans,55-7,but honestly,before we talk about the devastation of the Titans(game was a simple beatdown),the Packers' defense was simply the best that i have seen all year,against Tennessee,and the high-powered Packers' offense finally showed up,big time,but honestly,i still saw cracks in the offensive game plan(not many,but a few),the Packers' entire team is getting healthy,at the right time of the season,which is very bad news,for the rest of the NFC,and NFL,going into the playoffs... reminders of the 2010 Super Bowl XLV-winning teams abounds,in the team's overall numbers,between the two Packers' teams... can Adrian Peterson repeat the 210 yards rushing(history note:he needs 208 yards,to break Eric Dickerson's NFL season record,of 2,105 yards,rushing,set in 1984),but honestly the real key person in this game,is not Peterson,but quarterback Christian Ponder,and how he does in the game,because an one-dimensional Vikings' team will not beat the Packers,Sunday,unless Peterson goes off on a historical run at Eric Dickerson,and shatter the record with many long runs,and about 250 yards,rushing... now about the Bears:there has been fifty two teams,starting,7-1,in NFL history,and only the 1996 Washington Redskins,of that group did not make the playoffs,and funny thing is that the Bears have to beat the Detroit Lions,and then root for their most despised rivals(the Packers),to beat the Vikings,to sneak into the playoffs(possible),because even though the Packers are in the playoffs,they are not resting many players,because they are playing for the second seed in the NFC playoffs,and a first round bye,which the Packers really do need,this season,because more injuries to key players have occurred,and a rest may be preferable,for those players,but honestly unlike last year,the Packers are more determined,and overall more ready,for the playoffs,and probably the most dangerous,and underrated team,going into the playoffs,this season... it will be a most interesting Sunday,to say the least...