I believe there is a TREMENDOUS amount of pressure on Brett Favre for this game - a brutal amount.
Also, somebody mentioned Minnesota's O-line is far superior to that of Green Bay's - to which I say wait until Monday.
I think it is almost a foregone conclusion that in order for Minnesota to prevail, they must run the ball better than effectively - they must be dominant, but they also must win time of possession. It kinda goes along with my hypothesis that in order for NFL teams to be in the elite tier, they MUST be capable of scoring lots of points on offense. And, this is where I see Green Bay having a big advantage. As bad as ya'll may feel Green Bay's pass protection is, it is far better than Minnesota's AND you throw a dominant receiving corps into the mix along with adequate pass protection and it is really only a matter of time before big passing plays occur. A defense can only hold for so long before the law of averages plays out. I've always argued that great defense is nice, but it ain't worth much if it cannot subsidize with its offense.
Both teams are putting up enough points on offense, but I really feel the points come MUCH easier for the Packers than they do for the Vikings. I realize Green Bay has really got me second-guessing on a weekly basis, but I really cannot see how Green Bay doesn't win this game handily. We know that the Green Bay running game will be non-existent, but that's nothing new. Rodgers isn't great throwing on the run, but he's pretty deadly when given time. Couple this with the standard number of blown coverages by any particular defense and it spells BIG plays for the Green Bay offense.
The only way Minnesota wins this game is if they have a serious time of possession advantage - which comes from long, sustained drives - and score TD's as opposed to field goals. I would add Minnesota would probably need a defensive score, but Rodgers doesn't take chances - which helps when the game is close.
Also, somebody mentioned Minnesota's O-line is far superior to that of Green Bay's - to which I say wait until Monday.
I think it is almost a foregone conclusion that in order for Minnesota to prevail, they must run the ball better than effectively - they must be dominant, but they also must win time of possession. It kinda goes along with my hypothesis that in order for NFL teams to be in the elite tier, they MUST be capable of scoring lots of points on offense. And, this is where I see Green Bay having a big advantage. As bad as ya'll may feel Green Bay's pass protection is, it is far better than Minnesota's AND you throw a dominant receiving corps into the mix along with adequate pass protection and it is really only a matter of time before big passing plays occur. A defense can only hold for so long before the law of averages plays out. I've always argued that great defense is nice, but it ain't worth much if it cannot subsidize with its offense.
Both teams are putting up enough points on offense, but I really feel the points come MUCH easier for the Packers than they do for the Vikings. I realize Green Bay has really got me second-guessing on a weekly basis, but I really cannot see how Green Bay doesn't win this game handily. We know that the Green Bay running game will be non-existent, but that's nothing new. Rodgers isn't great throwing on the run, but he's pretty deadly when given time. Couple this with the standard number of blown coverages by any particular defense and it spells BIG plays for the Green Bay offense.
The only way Minnesota wins this game is if they have a serious time of possession advantage - which comes from long, sustained drives - and score TD's as opposed to field goals. I would add Minnesota would probably need a defensive score, but Rodgers doesn't take chances - which helps when the game is close.
