Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings Preview

By John Onan | Saturday, October 22, 2005 | ( 0 )

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A pair of 1-4 NFC North foes get together at the Metrodome on Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers, and believe it or not, there is plenty on the line. They happen to reside in a division that is still very winnable for whoever emerges victorious, and walks away with a 2-4 record.

Injuries have decimated the Green Bay Packers offense, most notably wide receiver Javon Walker, who was lost for the year with a torn ACL in the very first game of the season. But, good news may be on the way, as running back Ahman Green has recovered nicely over the bye week. He has been nursing a sore quadriceps, but could start on Sunday.

The one constant for the Packers continues to be quarterback Brett Favre, who is currently leads the NFC with 12 touchdown passes. For the year, he has thrown for 1256 yards, while completing nearly 65 % of his throws. In Green Bay's 52-3 blowout of the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago, Favre tossed for 215 yards and three scores.

The defense, under the guidance of first-year coordinator Jim Bates, has shown signs of life in two of the last three games. They will be looking to bring the heat against the Minnesota Vikings' struggling signal caller Daunte Culpepper.

Culpepper has had a nightmare season so far, as he has been forced into a league-high 13 interceptions on the season. Despite the fact that opponents have caught many of his throws, he has an impressive 62 % completion percentage.

Not helping matters for the offense is the ineptness of the running game, which comes in ranked 27th in the league. Mewelde Moore has supplanted Michael Bennett in the backfield, and looked pretty good, gaining 57 yards on 14 carries against a stout Chicago Bears defense last week. He will need another strong effort to take the pressure off Culpepper.

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