Green Bay Packers: Getting to Know the Rival Minnesota Vikings

The Green Bay Packers will host the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday. The meeting will be the 107th meeting between the two NFC North rivals.

The two teams first met back in 1961, and since then the Packers lead the all-time series 56-49-1. This rivalry is easily on of the best rivalries in the NFL. 

This week, I reached out to Bleacher Report's Vikings lead columnist Tim Arcand to give us some insight from the enemy on this Week 12 matchup.

Q: What's the Vikings biggest concern heading into this matchup?

Tim Arcand: Usually I would say the biggest concern is the defense and the inability to come up with a big play to stop opposing offenses. After the four-turnover performance of the offense (three of them by Christian Ponder), I have to say the biggest concern right now is the offense.

Adrian Peterson is trying to play through a groin strain that limited his effectiveness against Seattle—although I would give Seattle’s defense some credit as well. If center John Sullivan is unavailable after suffering a concussion, that could lead to some problems as well.

My Take

It's hard to look at the Vikings right now and not say the problem is with the offense. The passing game is currently tied for the sixth worst in the league according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

What's worrisome for Minnesota is that it shouldn't be having problems on offense. When you have a player like Peterson on your roster, offense should be the easy part of the game.

However, the lack of a passing game for the Vikings allows opposing defenses to stack the box in order to slow down Peterson. That's exactly what the Packers will do Sunday, and that's exactly why the offense is the biggest concern for Minnesota.

Q: Where can the Packers exploit the Vikings?

Tim Arcand: That would be an easy question to answer with Aaron Rodgers playing—pick on any one of the Vikings’ cornerbacks. This season they only have one interception, and that was by backup A.J. Jefferson against the Cowboys.

Early in the season the Vikings were very susceptible to the screen pass. 

My Take

This is actually a really difficult question simply because Rodgers isn't playing. While backup quarterback Scott Tolzien has looked good at times, it's a little premature to think he can exploit any defense in the league, including the Vikings defense.

Where the Packers can ultimately exploit the Vikings is with their ground game. However, in order to do this they'll need to be committed to running the ball over the course of the entire game.

The Vikings enter this game allowing 111.6 rushing yards per game and give up an average of a touchdown per game. Pro Football Focus has the Vikings run defense graded as the sixth worst in the league.

Don't be surprised if the Packers get back on track with their ground game this week.

Q: Where do the Vikings have the biggest advantage?

Tim Arcand: About the only advantage I can see might be in the return game.

Cordarrelle Patterson has been as good as advertised on kickoffs. If teams cannot put the ball out of the end zone, they have been kicking the ball short to keep it out of his hands.

Marcus Sherels, while not that good as a cornerback, has done a nice job returning punts. He’s third in the NFL with an average of 16.3 yards per return.

Patterson has scored two touchdowns this season and Sherels one.

My Take

What's funny about the Vikings having an advantage in the return game is that the only time the Packers had any kind of return game this year was when these two teams met earlier in the season. In that game, cornerback Micah Hyde had a 93-yard punt return.

With that said, the combination of Patterson and Sherels is definitely a dangerous one. They have the ability to change the game in a single play. 

The Packers' return game, on the other hand, has really struggled in recent weeks. It's not a good sign that this is where the Vikings have the biggest advantage, but that's how it is for Minnesota.

Q: Which Vikings player is the most important for Minnesota to come away with a win?

Tim Arcand: It has to be Adrian Peterson.

After rushing for 409 yards in the two regular-season games in 2012, he will need to perform like last season. If the Packers can hold him to 60 yards again, like they did in Week 8, then whoever is playing quarterback becomes the most important player.

My Take

It's hard to not say that Peterson is the most important player due to the fact he's one of the best players in the game. However, the most important player if the Vikings want to win is quarterback Christian Ponder.

He's going to need to do something positive in this game if Minnesota has any chance of winning this game. Unless Ponder can provide some type of offense, it's going to be a long day for the Vikings on that side of the football.

Q: Who wins this game and why?

Tim Arcand: Realize that I am becoming more and more cynical as the season progresses, but I just don’t see the Vikings beating the Packers in Green Bay.

Despite all the injuries, Green Bay is too good to lose four straight games. Based on the forecast for the Twin Cities at the end of this week, the weather in Green Bay looks to be cold and blustery, and that might help whichever team that can establish the run.

My Take

This game will basically determine the Packers' season, so it's safe to say that it's an important one. It's hard to imagine Green Bay losing its fourth straight game this week, especially while it's playing at home.

Ultimately, this game has the makings of being a low-scoring game that is rather ugly. Look for the Packers to win with a score around 20-17.