I was trying to come up with a unique angle on this week’s performance but really, we’ve seen this game before.  This contest was hyped as Brett Favre’s return to Lambeau Field, but in the end it was the result of Minnesota simply being better across the board than the Green Bay Packers.  It’s often been said that to be the best you need to beat the best.  The Vikings may not be the best team in the NFC (New Orleans and Philadelphia will yet have something to say about that) but it’s apparent that they’re much closer to it than the Packers are.  In order for Green Bay to defeat them, they needed to play a nearly perfect game; something that has eluded this team so far this year.

The Packers dug themselves an early hole by falling behind 17-3 in the first half.  They missed an opportunity to establish some early momentum when they failed to capitalize on a Minnesota turnover in the first quarter.  The Packers recovered a a botched shotgun snap at the Minnesota 35 yard line but had to settle for a field goal when they were unable to make a first down from there.  The Vikings Percy Harvin then returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards to the Green Bay 14.  The Packers later compounded that mistake when Johnny Jolly took a stupid personal foul penalty with a head butt after the Packers had stopped the Vikings on 3rd down.  The extra series eventually allowed Viking back Adrian Peterson to score on a 1 yard touchdown plunge giving Minnesota a lead they would never relinquish.

That sequence was nearly repeated in the second half after the Packers had closed the score to 24-20 on Aaron Rodgers second TD toss of the 3rd quarter to secret weapon Spencer Havner.  The special teams then allowed another long kick return by Harvin, this time 48 yards to the Green Bay 38 yard line, eventually setting up another Viking touchdown.  Though the Pack would score again, the margin was too much for them to overcome.

The Packers were once again done in by their inconsistency.  It seemed as though the Vikings were able to make plays when they really needed them while Green Bay often was unable to do so.  On consecutive plays in the second half, the Packers had a chance to pick off passes that were batted in the air only to watch them fall to the ground.  The Packers were whistled for only 6 penalties but they seemed to come at the most inopportune moments, such as the foul on Jolly.   The undisciplined play may be a reflection of the Packers youth but also suggests a lack of accountability.  After Jolly came off the field on his bonehead play, I saw no one from the coaching staff talking to him and he seemed unapologetic after the game.

The Packers continued to have problems protecting Rodgers, allowing 6 more sacks.  It’s ridiculous that the offensive line is still in a state of flux entering week 9 of the season.  Rookie T.J. Lang struggled all game at left tackle with Viking defensive end Jared Allen.  Center Scott Wells can whine all he wants about being in the starting lineup but if continues to throw ‘matador blocks’ like the one that allowed nose tackle Pat Williams in for a sack he should find himself back on the bench.  Fox analyst Troy Aikman repeatedly took Rodgers to task for holding the ball too long, but it should be noted that most of the Packers big plays in the second half came from Rodgers keeping  plays alive until his receivers got open.

To their credit, the Packers showed a lot of heart battling back from an early deficit when it looked as if the game could get out of control.  But it’s clear that they are not ready to be mentioned with the elite teams in the conference, much less the NFL.  At 4-3 with some winnable games left on the schedule, Green Bay could still have a respectable season.  Unless they can find some consistency in their play, however, they are likely destined to be on the fringes of the playoff race at best.

Mike, aka 'Big Snake Man', is a Wisconsin Sports Online contributor as well as a frequent poster, or perhaps poster child, at PocketDoppler.com/.

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