Vikings drop this one 27-33.
Wait…27 to 33? Yes you read that right. This game was closer and far more entertaining than almost anyone thought it would be.
Vikings led this game going into halftime, 17-13 then it went south from there and then back north for a bit. The Vikings came out in the second half and gave up a touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings in which Jennings walked into the endzone from the 30 yard line. The Vikings secondary was without Chris Cook (incarcerated) and Antoine Winfield (injury) and many thought this unit would struggle against the high powered passing Packers offense and they did not disappoint. In typical Vikings fashion they also racked up their share of penalties. Purple were penalized 9 times for 91 yards. All of that said, the Vikings did make it close at the end with a couple defensive stops and decent play from Ponder. In the end, the Packers passing game gave way to their serviceable running game to ice the game.
Of course the big news from the Vikings standpoint was Christian Ponder getting his first career start and for the most part he looked decent. I have spent much energy criticizing Bill Musgrave but I must admit that he called a good game and put Ponder in some good positions to make some plays. Ponder did throw two picks (to Charles Woodson), which was to be expected, we knew there would be some growing pains with the rookie play caller. For the most part, this is a good start to Ponder’s career and there is much to build off of.
What is clear is the Vikings need help in the secondary and they need help almost every where on offense, save RB. All in all, there was some to feel good about and nothing new to feel bad about. Well except that whole losing to the hated Packers thing.
This week’s song of the week: What Hurts the Most
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