The moment football fans have been anticipating has arrived, the first showdown between the Old Armslinger’s ex wife, the Greenbay Packers and his new bride, the Minnesota Vikings since his controversial signing with Minnesota at the start of the 2009-10 pre-season. Who will win Monday Night Football’s ‘Battle of the Tundra’? Will it be the Packers defense featuring the hard hitting Aaron Kapman or the explosive Favre led Vikings offense featuring the virtually unstoppable Adrian Peterson? So far the Packers have won the last four matchups however it will be interesting to see if Favre can go from being ‘Gun Shy’ to ‘Gunslinger’ over the course of one game to fulfill the revenge we all know he and Brad Childress foam at the mouth over.
1) Driver/Jennings ‘Dream Team’— Green Bay’s new and improved 3-4 defense may have been highlighted but don’t sleep on the Packers offense! Green Bay has some of the best up and coming wide receivers of the league in the dynamic duo of Greg Jennings and Donald Driver (both finished for a combined total of 900 yds last season and Jennings clocked in 12 touchdowns in his second year)
2) Aaron Rodgers vs Brett Favre – Aaron Rodgers is predicted to have the better game statistically however Brett Favre even with minimal playing time has been throwing exceptionally well for a legendary maverick twice removed from retirement. I mean unretirement, no wait retirement. Well, you get the jest. Favre has all but meshed with the team considering the short time he had to familiarize himself with the plays and personalities of his teammates after passing GO from signing on the dotted line straight to the pre-season. Given that Minnesota’s schematics all but mimics what he’s accustomed to over in Green Bay, Favre and the Favrettes aka Vikings are almost synchronized swimming going into Week 5.
3) Adrian Peterson – One word = BEAST! Enough said
4) Control of the run – This game will ultimately come down to who can enforce the run better. With Adrian Peterson averaging 357 yards rushing for 4 touchdowns after 3 weeks and the Vikings allowing for just 74.1 yards rushing last season, Minnesota has the advantage here. However Rodgers has been known to launch a pass or two and could very well exploit the Vikings affinity for allowing an average of 168 yards passing. Once he gets the ball into Jennings hands down the stretch for a touchdown, it could be lights out Minnesota.
No blowouts here. This will come down to wire like an UFC’s Gina Carano vs WWE’s Chyna (in her prime) mud wrestling match. It all comes down to performance of Brett Favre in his quest for redemption and the preservation of his legacy.
Winner : Minnesota Vikings