NFL Predictions Week 7: Packers Will Pound Vikings and Christian Ponder

The Packers have another active bye week in Week 7. The Minnesota Vikings are a mess. The only team in the NFL worse off is the Indianapolis Colts. I'm not just referring to records—this is about player personnel and everything else. 

Minnesota fans have an element of intrigue in Week 7 because Christian Ponder will get his first NFL start in relief of Donovan McNabb. So, after Ponder's first two interceptions and after he's sacked three times, the intrigue will be over.

Ponder is a nice QB prospect, but this is a difficult situation for anyone to make their starting NFL debut. It is true that he has the best pure runner in the game in Adrian Peterson, but his receiving corp is subpar. His offensive line is aging.

This makes them very one-dimensional. NFL teams have stacked the box to take away Adrian Peterson in the second half or earlier. The Vikings can't get the protection, route running or throwing accuracy to make defenses pay. 

The Packers will most certainly bring the pressure. Though Ponder is elusive, he's still a rookie and he isn't Cam Newton. Newton didn't defeat the Packers, though he had a ton of passing yards, and he has more weapons at his disposal than Ponder does.

Compound the problems on the offensive side of the ball with depth issues on defense. Top CB Chris Cook was arrested Friday night in a domestic incident. The Vikings were already likely going to be without Antoine Winfield due to a neck injury. Now, Rodgers and the Packers high-powered offense will take aim at a patchwork secondary.

My final score prediction for the game is: Packers 35 Vikings 13.