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If the playoffs started today, who would have the best chance of beating the Green Bay Packers in the NFC?

The 49ers? If the Packers get ahead by more than 10 points, I don’t think Alex Smith has the arm to bring them back.

The Giants? Their pass rush is scary, but not much else.

The Saints? It’d be high scoring, but the Packers would prevail.

The Lions? Puhleaze.

The Cowboys? They’re talented, but don’t have the cajones to hang with the Packers.

The Bears? They’ve got as good a shot as any.

Packers stock is at an all-time high right now, and I’m not talking about the certificates fans buy to hang on their wall and support the team. I’m talking about the ridiculous level of play we’re seeing from the Packers right now.

These first nine games have been amazing, but the ride is just getting started. We don’t truly find out who the good teams are until after Thanksgiving. Right now, nobody can touch the Packers. But there’s a long way to go.

Lets get to the stock report.

Rising

Aaron Rodgers
I’m sick of always putting Rodgers in the rising category, so lets give him a partner this week. Led by Rodgers, the Packers beat the Vikings Monday night. Led by QB Russell Wilson, the Wisconsin Badgers beat the Minnesota Gophers on Saturday. Rodgers and Wilson combined were 39-for-47 for 428 yards, eight TDs and zero INTs. Their combined passer rating was 144.2 and they threw just as many TDs as incompletions (a perfect NFL passer rating is 158.3). The two teams from Minnesota had no chance (stats courtesy of Judd Zulgad).  Read more... (721 words + 1 image, estimated 2:53 mins reading time)

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings.

It looks like the wind is picking up at Lambeau and…….wait a minute! Kyle Cousineau just appeared on ESPN. That was cool.

Minnesotans are surprisingly optimistic about their team’s chances against the Packers tonight. Christian Ponder has given this fanbase some hope and the Vikings have shown signs of life since the rookie from Florida State took over as the starter. We’re about to find out if that optimism is warranted.

No surprises on the Packers inactive list: CB Davon House, LB Jamari Lattimore, LB Robert Francois, LB Frank Zombo, OL Ray Dominguez, LT Chad Clifton, DE Mike Neal.

First half:

Packers win the toss, defer to the second half, and force the Vikings to go three-and-out. This is just what the defense needed.

Who needs the NBA when you have Randall Cobb taking a punt to the house, then shooting a jump shot toward the referee. Cobb is becoming the Packers version of Percy Harvin.

So far Matthews has lined up only on his usual left side. It won’t matter much where he lines up if the Vikings keep trying to block him with Toby Gerhart.

Vikings punt again and we go to commercial with Megadeth playing in the background. Props to Monday Night Football for playing some metal this season. I’ve also heard Pantera and Lamb of God in previous games.

Asher Allen is wondering how Driver — a guy twice his age — just out-jumped him on that 3rd-down conversion.  Read more... (908 words + 1 image, estimated 3:38 mins reading time)

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Christian Ponder won't have the element of surprise on his side this time.

Didn’t we just beat the Vikings?

Only three short weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers did indeed beat the Minnesota Vikings, 33-27 at the Metrodome.  One bye and a win over the San Diego Chargers later, and the Packers host the Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Though it doesn’t offer Brett Favre’s return to Green Bay, the game still holds plenty of intrigue.  Will the Packers’ perfect season continue to hold up despite a porous defense? Can Aaron Rodgers maintain his level of play?  Is Christian Ponder the next big thorn in the side of the Packers?

It’s also a divisional game which means the records can be thrown out the window when comparing the two teams.  Packers/Vikings games often end up being real close no matter how either team performs against the other 30 clubs.

Key Vikings Players

QB Christian Ponder

Ponder made his presence known immediately in his first meeting with the Packers, completing a 72 yard pass to Michael Jenkins on the very first play from scrimmage.  After that, he still played fairly well though some poor throws wound up in the hands of the Packers secondary and likely ended up costing the Vikings the upset.

Ponder improved in the next game with a 236 yard and zero-interception effort in a 24-21 win over the Carolina Panthers.   So far after two games, Ponder is looking like a very mobile quarterback with an arm strong enough to make most of his throws.  He will only get better with experience.  Read more... (1000 words + 1 image, estimated 4:00 mins reading time)

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Through eight weeks, Matt Forte might be the runner-up to Aaron Rodgers for NFC North MVP.

While the Green Bay Packers were enjoying their bye week, some potential challengers for the top seed in the NFC struggled on Sunday. The Saints laid an egg against the Rams. The Giants had to rally to beat the Dolphins, and the Cowboys got destroyed by the Eagles.

Meanwhile, the Lions overcame the power of Tebow to improve to 6-2 and the 49ers took care of business aginst the Browns to improve to 6-1.

In other news, the Vikings got a little bit of good fortune to win their second game and the Bears joined the Packers in taking the week off.

Even though the Packes didn’t play, their stock went up. If you watched any football at all this weekend, you’d be hard pressed to find a team that could beat the Packers right now. But instead of spending another stock report praising all that is right in Cheeseland, lets devote some attention to other stocks throughout the NFC North.

Which players in the NFC North are on the rise and could give the Packers some fits down the stretch? Which players are playing at a steady level and which have dropped off a cliff?

Rising  Read more... (886 words + 1 image, estimated 3:33 mins reading time)

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Packers head coach Mike McCarthy announced Monday during his regularly scheduled press conference that rookie running back Alex Green suffered a knee injury against the Minnesota Vikings that will cost him the remainder of the 2011 season. The injury occurred when Randall Cobb fell into the back of Green’s legs during a kick return in the first quarter.

Surgery is required, but McCarthy was unable to give a timetable of when it may occur. The team is going to wait 7-to-10 days on the knee before making a final decision.

The team may also address the position with a roster move down the road. No names were mentioned, but undrafted free agent Brandon Saine remains on the Packers practice squad and Dimitri Nance is still unsigned.

Other highlights from McCarthy’s Monday press conference:  Read more... (585 words + 1 image, estimated 2:20 mins reading time)

• Players earned an extra day off during the bye. McCarthy noted how traveling in and out of Green Bay affects how the team must handle the bye week schedule. His list of priorities for the players included spending time with family and getting rest.
• Four minute offense at the end of the game came down to fundamentals. James Starks was patient in reading blocks and also broke some tackles. McCarthy was confident in running the football to win the game in that situation.
• You have to figure in how your guy is playing and the conditions when sending out your kicker for a long field goal. The original max line for Mason Crosby was the 40-yard line, but McCarthy felt confident sending him out after seeing him on previous kickoffs and warmups.

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The Minnesota Vikings (1-5) will start rookie quarterback Christian Ponder Sunday when they take on the undefeated Green Bay Packers (6-0) at the Metrodome.

The basics 

When: 3:15 CDT; Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011.

Where: Mall of America Field at the Metrodome; Minneapolis, MN.

TV: FOX; Thom Brennaman and Troy Aikman with the call, Pam Oliver on the sidelines.

Radio: 620 AM WTMJ (Milwaukee), Packers Radio Network, Westwood One, NFL Sunday Drive (Sirius Radio).

Series: Packers lead, 51-48-1 (Packers won the last regular season game, 31-3, in Minnesota on Nov. 21, 2010).

Five things to watch

1. A new era in Minnesota

The Vikings will be ushering in a new era at quarterback Sunday, as rookie Christian Ponder makes his first NFL start in place of veteran Donovan McNabb. Say what you want about Tarvaris Jackson, but Ponder represents the Vikings first attempt at developing a young quarterback since Daunte Culpepper in 2002. It’s been nothing but stop-gap options for Minnesota since Culpepper was traded to the Miami Dolphins before the 2006 season. At 6-2, 230 pounds, Ponder is a smart, athletic quarterback whom the Vikings liked enough to draft with the 12th overall pick last April. The majority of draft pundits said that the pick was a reach for Minnesota. But the Vikings absolutely needed to address the quarterback position and most of those same draft pundits called Ponder the most ready quarterback in the draft to play right away. While starting Ponder for the first time against the defending Super Bowl champions probably wasn’t how the Vikings envisioned their quarterback situation shaking out in 2011, McNabb simply didn’t play well enough to continue keeping Ponder on the bench. Starting Ponder is what the fans wanted. They got it. The Ponder era begins Sunday.  Read more... (1764 words + 1 image, estimated 7:03 mins reading time)

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In this week’s installment of “Know Your Packers Enemy,” I talked with Max Ginsberg of Purple Pants, Green Jersey, a blog dedicated to news and information about both the Vikings and Packers. Max also writes on occasion for Cheesehead TV. He’s a great follow on Twitter (@MaxGinsberg) for news and opinions on both franchises.

Enough with the intros, let’s get to some Packers-Vikings talk.

ZACH KRUSE: The big news this week is the transition from Donovan McNabb to Christian Ponder at quarterback. McNabb has historically done well against the Packers, but I think we could all see that this move needed to happen sooner rather than later. What are some of the pros and cons of the Vikings’ decision to start the rookie this week?

MAX GINSBERG: I don’t see much of a negative side to this one. The worst-case scenario entails Ponder falling flat on his face and the Vikings completely tanking; in which case, the Vikings would secure a top pick in next year’s quarterback-heavy draft. On the other hand, the move to Ponder has a lot of benefits. It satisfies a fan base that (aside from one golden year with Favre) has suffered through mediocrity at the quarterback position for a long time, and it could also reenergize a team that could use a lift. The Metrodome is a crazy place where anything can happen; why not turn to a rookie quarterback and give the Vikings coaching staff a chance to see what he can do? And while one player is not going to make-or-break the team’s chances on a new stadium, the move to Ponder shows the state of Minnesota that the Vikings are looking to the future. In return, the Vikings are hoping the state ensures that future is in Minnesota by building the team a new stadium.  Read more... (1322 words + 1 image, estimated 5:17 mins reading time)

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