One of biggest games in years ahead for Vikings

If the Packers win Sunday they would be the No. 3 seed and would host the No. 6 seed, which is the Seattle Seahawks.

The Minnesota Vikings had all afternoon to watch their competitors play, with the realistic possibility that their spot in the postseason would be secured by the time they took the field. Green Bay had lost three straight including a home loss to Detroit, was really out of sync on both sides of the ball, and the Vikings had them on their home field with a chance to take what was essentially a three game lead in the division once you added in tiebreakers.

A loss gives the Vikings the division and drops the Packers to the No. 5 seed.

The Vikings have won their last two games by a combined score of 87-34, and better play from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater over the last three games has been notable. While Arizona’s ground game has been challenged at times this season due to injuries, Andre Ellington did rush for 40 yards (247 yards on the season) in the team’s 38-8 dismantling over Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay this past Sunday.

A victory would, indeed, be something for the Vikings (10-5) to be excited about. Dwight Freeney had three and Calais Campbell 2.5. Although they’ve trailed the Packers in the standings all season, they have all the momentum going into this Week 17 matchup.

The Packers want nothing to do with Washington right now.

And now, turnovers are a big problem, with six of the team’s 15 for the season coming in the last two weeks. The 30-point loss was Green Bay’s largest margin of defeat ever in a game that Rodgers started, and the biggest loss of any sorts since they were shutout by the Patriots in 2006. “That may not be the case with everybody that thinks that way, but that’s the way I think and that’s the way I operate when we do our game plans and how we pick our 46 players for game day”.

The Packers were mere minutes away from going to the Super Bowl last season, before committing one of the worst collapses in National Football League playoff history against the Seahawks. The Vikings would be the sixth seed and would open the playoffs against the Packers at Green Bay. Never have. Never will. And as important as this game is for the standings, and for playoff seeding, I think it’s fair to say it’s even more important for the emotions it stirs.

Mike McCarthy said they need to do a better job in ball security and that includes quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

That’s four fumbles in four games for Starks. They would have a first round game at home where they are 6-2 on the season.

“The Cardinals are peaking at the right time, and they’ve still got a shot at the No. 1 seed (in the NFC)”, Newsday’s Bob Glauber said. We have the opportunity to play a division opponent in Minnesota, and we’ll go out and win the game. However, it could be argued that a win doesn’t necessarily create the best playoff situation for Green Bay.

“Carson Palmer is very much in the conversation for MVP honors, as well as Comeback Player of the Year”, he said. Their scoring total in Sunday’s 49-17 victory over the New York Giants was their highest since 1998, and it was as much a byproduct of the play of Zimmer’s defense as it was the direct result of a punishing second-half running game. Rodgers believes that his team will show up when they’re playing for “all the marbles”. Only four quarterbacks have been sacked more than Rodgers this season.