Written By Sam Ekstrom
LAST WEEK
Teddy Bridgewater made his not-so-long awaited debut against the Atlanta Falcons and led the Vikings to a 41-28 win. Bridgewater threw for 317 yards and rushed for a touchdown in his first career start. The Vikings also totaled 241 yards in the ground game and compiled 558 total yards, the team’s most in 10 years. Bridgewater sprained his ankle on a scramble in the fourth quarter, however, and his status for Thursday is questionable. Christian Ponder would be the backup option.
Green Bay silenced some doubters with a convincing 38-17 win over the rival Chicago Bears. The Packers rattled off 24 straight points after trailing 17-14 in the second quarter. Aaron Rodgers fired four touchdowns as the Packers moved back to .500.
RECENT MEETINGS
The last time these teams met, there was no winner. The Vikings blew a 16-point fourth quarter lead against the Scott Tolzien-led Packers at Lambeau Field, and the game went to overtime where each team converted a field goal to create a 26-26 tie, the second stalemate in the 105-game history of the rivalry. Christian Ponder threw for 233 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT in the game. There’s a chance Ponder could start Thursday if Bridgewater’s ankle doesn’t heal.
The Packers pounded the Vikings last season in Minneapolis 44-31. A Cordarrelle Patterson kick return touchdown to begin the game was essentially the lone bright spot as Aaron Rodgers was his usual self, picking apart the Vikings’ secondary for 285 yards.
The last time the Vikings beat the Packers was Week 17 of 2012, the win-and-in game where Adrian Peterson nearly broke the single-season rushing record. Minnesota won that game 37-34 on a Blair Walsh field goal as time expired.
The last Minnesota victory at Lambeau came Nov. 1, 2009 in Brett Favre’s return to his old stomping grounds. The Vikings won 38-26 behind four Favre touchdowns.
The all-time series record is 55-48-2 in favor of the Packers.
MINNESOTA TIE
Packers starting nose tackle LeTroy Guion started 31 games for the Vikings from 2008-13. He was cut by the Vikings in March in a cost-saving measure and tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he will “be amped up to the highest possible intensity” for the matchup against his former team.
MR. RODGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD
Aaron Rodgers is 8-4 career against the Vikings and has completed over 71 percent of his passes in those 12 games. That’s the highest completion percentage Rodgers has against any opponent except Denver, who he has only faced one time.
For the past four weeks, it seems like there’s been nothing but praise being spouted for the opposing team’s quarterback: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and now Rodgers. Head coach Mike Zimmer continued that trend on Tuesday.
“He’s obviously got a tremendous arm,” said Zimmer. “He’s got great mobility, gets the ball out fast, he’s the best in the league against the blitz and he’s got some excellent receivers.”
Cornerback Josh Robinson preached the importance of sticking close to those receivers. Rodgers is one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks once he gets outside of the pocket and can take advantage of any breakdowns in the secondary.
“Stay in coverage,” said Robinson. “Always believe that Rodgers got a way in. Just keep covering your guy. Our coach is always stressing, ‘Don’t look at the quarterback because he’s like Medusa, he’ll turn you to stone.’
Rodgers’ favorite target so far has been Jordy Nelson. Nelson leads the NFL with 459 receiving yards, 33 receptions and 49 targets. He’ll likely be matched up against Robinson Thursday night.
“If you do your assignment on every play, you can only come out on top,” said Robinson.
NEW FACES ALL AROUND
The Vikings had great success last Sunday with several backups at key positions.
Gerald Hodges filled in for the injured Chad Greenway, Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata stepped in admirably for Adrian Peterson, Chase Ford replaced Kyle Rudolph at tight end, and Vladimir Ducasse took Brandon Fusco’s place at right guard. Each of these backups will be back in the same spot on Thursday.
The common theme for their collective success last week was belief, according to McKinnon and Ducasse.
“When you’ve got a coach who believes in you, a player’s coach who is always behind you, that will bring the best out of it,” said McKinnon.
“All the credit goes to those guys,” Ducasse said of his teammates. “They’re showing me they believe in me and have confidence in me, so it was good.”
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
RT Bryan Bulaga vs DE Brian Robison – It’s been a frustrating year thus far for Brian Robison, who’s been flirting with double-digit sacks for the past three years but has none through four games. The Packers are tied for the fifth-most sacks allowed in football. This is a great opportunity for Robison to break through against a shaky O-line.
CB Josh Robinson/CB Xavier Rhodes vs WR Jordy Nelson/WR Randall Cobb – The assumption is that Robinson will stack up against Nelson, and Rhodes will go against Cobb. Aaron Rodgers has a tendency to pick on weak links if he finds them within a defense. In the past, that was usually A.J. Jefferson. Now, the Vikings’ corners are a bit better and the Packers’ receiving corps is somewhat top-heavy with only two bona fide threats. Still, it will be a great challenge for the Purple against the best quarterback in the division.
PREDICTION
Las Vegas has Green Bay winning by nine at the moment. It’s hard to disagree, especially with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that Teddy Bridgewater is unlikely to play. Christian Ponder has never won a game in Green Bay, and the Packers have lots of momentum after their dominant win in Chicago. Packers 28, Vikings 17.
Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket. He has previously served as a play-by-play broadcaster in Iowa and South Dakota and has covered Minnesota sports since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights.