5 (More) Questions with Vikings Territory

With the last regular season game upon us and a division crown on the line, Adam Warwas of VikingsTerritory fame once again asked to pick our brain. Since the last result was so satisfying, I thought I'd give it another go. 

1.    Last time you stopped by, our readers had some fun with your answers in our comments section, but it was you and Packers fans everywhere that got the last laugh. The Packers beat down the Vikings in a 30-13 romp at TCF Bank Stadium. Is Green Bay destined to repeat this success at home or has something changed since November that causes concern about this matchup?

 

Going into the TCF game, we were coming off a streak of three mind-numbingly bad losses. Last week, we were flat-out embarrassed. Injuries have mounted and some frustrations vented, but there’s something about playing the Vikings that brings out the best in the Packers. I’m willing to bet that’s in the back of the minds of both the players and fans of Minnesota.

 

2.    I'm a firm believer that seldom are there "experts" out there better at analyzing any given team than their fan base that pay close attention to every snap, every success, and every failure. Assuming you fall into that category, what weakness to the Packers currently display that could most effectively be exploited by the Vikings?

 

How’s your pass rush these days? Oh, it’s good you say? Damn. It’s no secret the Packers’ offensive line is one ailing unit. Combine that with receivers that aren’t getting open and it could be a long night. For the Vikings, the timing is excellent, but as the players like to say, it’s all about execution.

 

3.    The NFC playoff participants are decided and both of our teams are in. All that is left is seeding and, specific to this game, deciding whether or not the Vikings can take Green Bay's throne atop the NFC North. Can you tell me what the atmosphere is right now within your fan base? Is there excitement like there is with ours? Is there disappointment that Green Bay hasn't locked it up already? Is the gaze already set upon the playoffs and advancing there? Tell me about how the narrative is playing out east of the border.

 

The Vikings and their fans should be thrilled to have a chance to take the division at Lambeau on the last game of the year. As for the GB fan base, a minority of beastly trolls have staggered out from under their bridges. It happens from time to time. But when you are accustomed to being so good for so long, any chink the armor is magnified. I’m a believer in this team, but the concern is falling short this year and not maximizing the time with our future HOFer at QB. Despite a few rumblings of laying down this week for a better playoff matchup, I get the impression most fans are just hoping the coaches can make adjustments, replacements step up and the team makes a statement Sunday.

 

4.    Last time you were here, you opined that the Packers should be far more concerned with stopping Adrian Peterson than Teddy Bridgewater. Since then, Bridgewater has been playing quarterback at a much higher level and had a December to remember. Has your opinion as to whether or not Bridgewater is a legitimately dangerous opponent changed since our last time talking?

 

No, not really. The majority of TeddyTwoGlovesDecembertoRemember2015.com has been against weaker teams, and a very poor decision late against the Cardinals cost you guys arguably your biggest win of the year. He’s decent though, and clearly locked in as your guy for a while. If I’m planning against the Vikings, it’s still about stopping AP.

 

5.    Last week was rough for the Packers. Of course, I love to talk some trash when I see something like that happen, but the truth is that this type of experience is not something Green Bay has experienced much of for a long, long time. Vikings fans cannot say the same. Do you think the Packers will be disheartened by this loss and allow it to carry over to the postseason or are they mentally tough enough to forget about it and move forward with even more motivation?

 

Good question, and I don’t have a clue. Maybe the Packers don’t either, and won’t until the game gets going. If they happen to fall behind early, it’s going to be hard. As a fan, the belief in Packer comebacks has taken a hit this year despite the Miracle in Motown.

 

BONUS: Got a prediction for us on the outcome of Sunday night's game?

 

Essentially repeat of last game: Packers 30, Vikings 17.

5 Questions with Vikings Territory

Adam Warwas over at VikingsTerritory reached out to us to answer a few questions (in bold) and I gladly answered. While we've had some fun trash-talking with these guys in the past, I was *a little* more straightforward this time. Please let us know what you think in the comments.

1. The obvious elephant in the room is that the Packers are on a three game slide and playing some pretty ugly, relatively speaking, football. Can you talk a little bit about what factors have been involved with these three losses and what solutions the team might try to employ in Minnesota?

It’s as though they went on a two-week bender and were still hungover last week. A good night’s sleep and a strong cup of coffee should sufficiently wake them up. Rodgers has always been a master of improvisation and there’s a chance he’s been boxed in by some vanilla play calling. Giving him more freelance ability with the secondary playmakers will keep defenses guessing and frustrated before #12 drops the hammer.

2. Prior to the season, I'm on record saying that Eddie Lacy being on that Packers roster is just plain unfair. As it turns out, Lacy's year is going pretty poorly and Green Bay is looking fairly one-dimensional on offense these days. Is that a fair assessment and how is that impacting Aaron Rodgers?

While it’s not ideal, Lacy’s short history has indicated he may be a slow starter. Couple that with an injury and the numbers speak for themselves. Starks is a very capable backup but brings a different set of skills to the scheme, probably resulting in more week-to-week adjustments on offense than preferred. That being said, I don’t know it impacts Rodgers that much. I mean, he won the MVP in 2011 when the team was 28^th in rushing. He hasn’t played his greatest, but his receivers outside of Cobb and James Jones are relatively young and inexperienced as well. Some struggles are to be expected. As they mature and gain Rodgers’ trust, the offense will get exponentially better sooner than later.

3. Can you tell Vikings fans a bit about Green Bay's 2015 rookie class? I'd like to get your perspective on which rookies are contributing to the success of the team and which have been underwhelming.

In typical draft-and-develop fashion, we picked up some supporting cast members in Rounds 1-3 and depth the rest of the way. You’ll want to pay attention to our first pick especially, Damarious Randall, who has already save our behinds more than once in the secondary. Ty Montgomery, our return guy and WR, appears to be healthy enough to contribute in a variety of ways. Quinten Rollins is real intriguing ball hawk with upside in the secondary. He’s actually a former college basketball player who was his conference’s defensive player of the year his senior year – the only year he played college football. There’s a chance you might see John Kuhn’s potential successor and fellow redhead, Aaron Ripowski, aka “The Ripper.” Jack Ryan of “Sixteen Candles” fame is also an intriguing middle linebacker to watch – if not this season, then the next.

4. The Vikings have really had a hard time getting Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater both into rhythm at the same time. By that, I mean that the offense has yet to fire on all cylinders in 2015. This Dom Capers defense has had ups and downs this season, and I'm wondering if you think the Vikings are most likely to find success through the air or on the ground?

Ha! I mean, what do you think? Despite his decent weapons, if Teddy has above-average success through the air it would probably be a surprise to everyone. #5 is still growing but you have to wonder if there’s much ceiling left to reach? Of course it’s the ground game that’s the concern. Even though we’ve won the majority of the matchups, Peterson has almost single-handedly kept you in the game. If he’s semi-contained, I don’t see you winning through the air.

5. Look, I understand that divisional games are always hard-fought, and they can be as unpredictable as they are difficult to win. Still, the Green Bay fans seem to be taking last week's loss to the Lions particularly hard. To those fans that seem to think the sky is falling in Wisconsin, what message would you like to relay?

At 6-3, many other teams would gladly trade to be in our shoes. That said, we’ve set the bar high and expect more. Fans should know the upside of this team by now and that if we get into the playoffs, there’s a helluva a good chance we can make this season special. Go troll your boat somewhere else.

BONUS: Have a prediction for the outcome of Sunday's game?

Hard-fought 27-20 Packers victory.

Our question for Vikings Territory: If the Vikings were sitting at .500 or below at this point, what would be the initial offer to Ragnar to come back and save the Vikings’ season?

Vikings Territory: Unlike the Packers, the Vikings are not that dependent on any individual, nor do we live in “What If” Land and dwell on the past. The fact is that we currently sit atop the NFC North and the Minnesota Vikings, not the Green Bay Packers, are the present and motivated to place Green Bay firmly in the past.