As Vikings prep for Pack, Zimmer tries to keep team grounded

Whoever we line up against, we just try to be better than them on that one Sunday.

The defense will be tested again next weekend when Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers come to town. It’s a red-letter game for Vikings fans who haven’t seen their team beat the Packers since they closed the Metrodome with a 37-34 victory in 2012.

But for Zimmer and his team, it’s still about the details.

“It’s more about understanding who we are, how we got here, what we have to continue to do”, Zimmer said. “Offensively, we’re in hit-and-miss situations where we’ve got a few guys open, then we’ll get beat in protection”.

The Raiders run defense had actually been pretty good before DeAngelo Williams had 170 yards two weeks ago and then Peterson topped that.

The cheese is there for the taking, but Mike Zimmer’s Vikings won’t steal it just yet.

“You’ve got to live in the moment”, Sitton said. “If you’ve got the right products, you can breeze through anything”. So about those T-shirts; who was behind that whole deal?

“I don’t know”, the coach said with a wince. “It’s just a T-shirt”. They have a history of losing to teams with winning records, making the loss a huge confidence killer for Green Bay. The Packers aren’t just a division/border/hunting/craft beer rival; they’re everything the Vikings want to be, and they’ve treated the Vikings like an ineffectual little brother. Remember when Robin Ventura charged Nolan Ryan?

While Adrian Peterson has experienced a plenty of individual success when playing versus the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings hasn’t fared as well.

Hanging in each player’s cubicle in the locker room was a new black T-shirt, with the NFC North and Vikings logos printed on the front and “Beat Green Bay” in all capital letters on the back.

The Vikings will enter Sunday’s game as winners of five straight and a 3-0 record against the NFC North. This will be their first meeting against the Packers this season, but have struggled in recent meetings. The teams meet for the first time Sunday, in Minneapolis, and it’s shaping up to be a must-win matchup for slumping Green Bay.

“(Zimmer’s) favorite line is, ‘Don’t take the cheese, ‘ so we have to continue to stay motivated and continue to play with that chip on their shoulders”, Bridgewater said. “I don’t think that I’m going to have to pull out any magic wands or anything like that”.

“I love a more interesting game than just a blowout”, Saunders added.

Apparently, they’re telling him two things – this is what the team needs and this is what you should do. “It’s not a big deal”.

When asked on Monday who was responsible for the shirts, Zimmer responded: “Me”. What’s interesting is his insistence that he can have it both ways. I think they’ll understand. Set the tone for a big week. What did he say?

“I’ll keep that between me and them”, Zimmer said.

For the rest of us, the song remains the same.

“You definitely don’t play for the individual accolades, because it’s more of a by-product that we’ve had such a great team for several years”. I can’t worry about what other people think.

The big obstacle against the Vikings is National Football League rushing leader Adrian Peterson facing the Packers’ No. 24-ranked run defense, which is also giving up 4.7 yards per carry.