Vikings and Packers meet in biggest border battle ever

October 31, 11:22 AMMinnesota Vikings ExaminerJoseph Oberle

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Vikings lineman Jared Allen hits Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in their first meeting on Oct. 5.
(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid, File)

The Minnesota Vikings travel to Green Bay to play the Packers on Sunday, and it marks the return of Brett Favre to Lambeau Field where he played for 16 years. This has caused both headache and heartache for Packer fans as they try to reconcile their love for the legendary signal caller with the fact that he is now quarterbacking their team's arch rival. If you don't know this, you may have been living without electricity since last May, or living under the proverbial rock. But you will want to find someplace to watch this one, as few games will have this much emotion attached and mean so much for the rest of the season at the same time.

Everyone wants to know how Favre will be received in Green Bay after leaving there a season ago via a trade to the New York Jets--thanks in part to his inability to make a decision on his retirement. Packer and Viking fans have already seen Favre in purple this season when the two teams clashed on Oct. 5 in the Metrodome (where the Vikings won 30-23). And that event may have more affect on this game than anything else.

It is safe to assume that once the initial booing of Favre is over and the game starts, it becomes a game for both the players and the fans--and it is a big one. If the Vikings win, they would take a 2.5 game lead over Green Bay, plus they would hold the first tiebreaker. While not impossible to catch up, it would be an extreme uphill climb for the Packers to win the NFC North Division. If the Packers win, they would be 5-2 to the Vikings' 6-2 and Minnesota would have a bye next week, while Green Bay plays Tampa Bay--they could be tied by next Sunday night. There is a lot more at stake here than the emotions of one quarterback and the reaction of his former fans.

When the two teams last met, Favre was a huge factor on offense, throwing for three touchdown passes and 271 yards. His counterpart (and replacement) Aaron Rodgers was equally as effective, throwing for a career high 384 yards and two TDs. Although some of Rodgers' success came in a fourth quarter when the Vikings had fallen back into a prevent defense, he played great despite a fierce pass rush (eight sacks for Minnesota) and nearly willed his team to victory. Rodgers' play went a long way in displaying to jilted Packer fans just why the decision to let Favre go was made and that they had a great young quarterback for the foreseeable future.

Favre, on the other hand, showed that he wasn't ready to be put out to the pastures of Mississippi just yet. He played his best game of the season and led the Vikings to a convincing win. The game was won in the trenches that Sunday (because Favre had all day to throw at times), but Favre rode a wave of emotion and made some fantastic throws to essentially prove his point to his former GM Ted Thompson.

All that point proving is out of the way now. This game is a battle for a divisional crown and playing deep into the playoffs for these teams--and the winner of it will be the winner of this installment of the whole Favre-leaving-Green Bay saga. So, this game is extremely important to both teams because ultimately it will be how they finished the season that will be remembered, not who won the second meeting between Favre and his old team. And this war will once again be won in the trenches.

The Packers have made efforts to bolster their line on both sides of the ball. On offense, they signed former Packer tackle Mark Tauscher (who was injured last year) and is potentially getting Chad Clifton back from injury (listed as questionable in the injury report). Packer coach Mike McCarthy is not saying who is going to start on his offensive line and probably will keep the Vikings guessing until game time--a ploy his counterpart in Minnesota, Brad Childress, likes to employ.

On defense, Clay Matthews will get the start at linebacker, and it remains to be seen what will be done with Aaron Kampman, who has switched from down lineman to upright in Dom Capers 3-4 defense, and has only lately started to become effective. The Packers defense has become stronger since last time the two teams met, giving up only 3 total points to Detroit and Cleveland. They have also moved up to the third-ranked defense in the league and look to provide more pressure on Favre.

For the Vikings, the story is one of injuries. Antoine Winfield is out for a second straight game with a foot injury, and reports are that Karl Paymah and Benny Sapp, who filled in admirably last week against Pittsburgh, will get the call again. Still, look for Rodgers to exploit that side of the defense--that was where he success last time out.

Percy Harvin (illness) and Bernard Berrian (hamstring) are both questionable for the game, and the Vikings will need them both to thwart a Packers defense that will undoubtedly pressure them at the line more this game than in the last meeting. The Packers get safety Atari Bigby back in the lineup, which will free up the corners to attack the Vikings receivers at the line.

Ultimately, Favre beat the Packers with his arm last time and you may see adjustments that work to prevent that from happening again. But that may free up some space for Adrian Peterson to get loose, and he is about due to really break out against a team. Emotion played a part of the last game, and for some may even be stronger on Sunday. Then again, the teams have already been through this and when the game starts the players may more easily be able to put it all aside and play football. The quicker they do, the better for their respective teams, as this is going to be a knock-down, drag-out battle that is sure to come down to the final minutes. If the Vikings stay away from the turnovers and penalties that killed them in last week's tough battle against the Steelers, they will come out on top in Lambeau and be able go into the bye in very good position. I believe they will. Minnesota 24-Green Bay 21.