Green Bay Packers Earn Biggest Win Since 1998 NFC Championship Game

Ive never been a huge fan of Monday Morning Quarterback articles(with the exception of Peter King's excellent work over at SI.com), so I figured I would wait an extra day to digest the opening game of the Packers season before sharing my thoughts.  A win over the hated divisional rival Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football may indeed be the most important win this franchise has had since the NFC Championship game victory in January of 1998.  Crazy you say!!  Think about the amount of pressure that was riding on the Packers and in particular one, Aaron Rodgers.

For starters, this was a season opening nationally televised Monday Night Football game.  Millions of fans across the country were glued to their television sets as well as many of the NFL's own players.  The opponent that the NFL schedule makers had hand picked was none other than the Packers bitter divisional rival Minnesota Vikings. 

Pundits had spent the entire off-season touting the Minnesota Vikings as one of the dark-horse contenders to win the Super Bowl and easily vaulted them ahead of the Packers in the NFC North pecking order.  With the addition of Jared Allen, Madieu Williams, and Bernard Berrian the divisional title was all but sealed. 

Add that dimension to the fact that it was Rodgers first NFL start and the first game started by someone other than Brett Favre in a Packers jersey since 1992 and you are developing one hell of a molehill of pressure. 

But that wouldn't be enough pressure to make this win so important.  Rodgers was replacing perhaps the most iconic football player not only in Packers history, but the history of the NFL.  And instead of having that long shadow being cast from a lawn mower in Mississippi it was being cast from Dolphins Stadium on a Sunday afternoon.  Brett Favre's victorious debut and solid performance in a Jets uniform added just another load of weight onto the broad shoulders of Aaron Rodgers.  Rodgers entered the game Monday night knowing that with every loss the pressure would only grow.  Everyone would begin to wonder when Rodgers would earn his first NFL victory and in the meantime how many more games would Brett Favre win in New York. 

Instead, Rodgers came in and had an exceptional game.  He and his teammates should be proud of the effort they gave and should be able to play solid and relaxed football from here on out.  The 24-19 outcome doesn't tell enough of the story as the Packers left 10 points on the field with their blocked field goal and Donald Driver's touchdown reception being called back due to a penalty. 

There are many things the Green Bay Packers will need to clean up and improve upon if they are going to make a return trip to the NFC Championship this season.  But make no mistake about the importance of the victory the team and Rodgers achieved Monday night.  It may be the most important win for the franchise in a decade!

Keep it locked here all season for analysis of each and every Packers game!