And so it begins…the tough part of the schedule. Green Bay twice, Arizona, Seattle, Chicago
(which might get very interesting the second time around if the Bears keep
winning games), Atlanta and the New York Giants.
After a 7-2 start, that schedule does not look as brutal as
it once did. However, those other games
will have to wait. After all, it’s
Packer week.
Things have been going well for the Vikings lately. Players seem to get nominated as “player of
the week” after every game, and winning that honor quite a bit. Terrence Newman is the most recent recipient
on the defensive side after scoring two huge interceptions. His second one came at a critical time, as a
third Derek Carr touchdown might have given Oakland a late chance to come from
behind and beat the Vikings. Of course,
All Day sealed the deal with another “HE’S LOOSE!” run for a touchdown.
The Vikings are on a five game winning streak. The defense is becoming more legitimate with
each passing week. You can say what you
want about “feasting on bad teams,” but I’ll take it because the Vikes used to
lose to some of those teams (like in the opener this year). The team is 5-0 since a game in which it had
a legitimate shot to beat Denver way before Andrew Luck did.
Historically, this is the point where it all comes crashing
down. But, the Vikings seem to be
adopting a Marty McFly attitude (“Yeah, well, history is gonna change”).
One thing I doubt many people saw coming in the March to the
Border Battle was what happened to the Packers the past few weeks. As the Vikings beat Kansas City and Detroit,
the Packers kept a steady hold on the division lead at 6-0 while the Vikings
sat at 4-2. The next week, the Vikings
finally won at Soldier Field for the first time since 2007 while the Packers
got stomped by Denver. Minnesota won
again in overtime against the Rams the next week to go to 6-2. The Packers lost to Carolina 37-29, and
suddenly Green Bay stared the “inferior” Vikings straight in the face.
Typically, Aaron Rodgers bounces back from one loss. He usually doesn’t lose two in a row. He most certainly doesn’t lose three in a row…right? Wrong.
In a game that apparently wasn’t televised outside the Wisconsin and
Michigan markets (Vikings fans see the Packers almost as often as their own
team most seasons), the Packers lost at home against the previously 1-7 Lions
for the first time since the first Bush administration. The Vikings took care of Oakland, as
previously mentioned, to claim sole possession of first place.
The Vikings come into the first Packers game in a rare
position. Green Bay is in a slump the
likes of which Aaron Rodgers has avoided since his rookie year, when he
suffered a five-game losing streak that took the Packers out of any possible
playoff contention. Yeah, as Vikings
fans, we are used to losing to them and they are not used to losing period.
The rest, as they say, is history. But, as we all know, you can throw silly
things like records and history out the window whenever rivals play. One thing is for sure, the Vikings need to smell
blood and get after a limping rival. The
Packers are still the Packers, and they will be enraged after losing to the
Lions last week.
Mike Zimmer has had his team fight and claw its way to
increasing levels of respect. The
Vikings might very well be favored against Green Bay at TCF this weekend. He sounds like he’s doing everything he can
to keep his players’ heads on straight and not fall victim to believing their
own hype. That’s probably what happened
against San Francisco, right?
This begins a test to see if the Vikings can stand up with the
elite teams in the league. 7-2 is still
7-2 no matter how you got there, but that’s not enough for some people,
including Coach Z. A win over Green Bay,
even a wounded Green Bay, would keep the respect coming and the Vikings hype
train would keep rolling.
Best of all, the Vikings would open up a two-game lead in
the division. It would also guarantee a
winning record in the divison one year after losing all but one game within the
North. The Vikings are playing football
as a fairly complete team right now.
Sure, Teddy Bridgewater could be throwing for more yards, but Minnesota
is playing to all of its strengths, which has proven to be a winning formula.
If they can do the same against the Packers and get a win,
watch out.
On the flip side, a loss would prove that the Vikings are
still a fringe team; good at beating the Detroits and St. Louis’s of the world,
but not quite ready for the next level; something which has really defined the
Vikings throughout their history.
Could the Vikings make the playoffs without beating the
Packers? It’s possible. Seattle’s looking decidedly less invincible
than in previous years, and I’m pretty sure Eli Manning hates us by now. If 7-2 was to drop to 7-3, that’s still a
pretty record through the first ten games.
It’s likely the Vikings could still control their own destiny regardless
of this game.
But, count on Vikings territory to be disappointed if it
happens. We’re sick of being pushed
around. If change is coming as soon as this
season, a win against the Packers needs to become a reality. Expectations have changed in a hurry for the
purple and gold, and the biggest rivalry we have needs to turn the corner at
some point, so why not now?
Sunday, we find out if this team is ready to step up to the
big stage.
