Green Bay Packers: Winners and Losers from Pack’s Win vs. Vikings

Nobody said it was going to be easy.  Consistently winning is a feat that all teams try to master but only few can achieve.  The Green Bay Packers’ win versus the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday gives them an overall record of 7-0, the only undefeated record in the 2011 NFL season.  With every week that goes by the Packers find more ways to silence their critics. 

Here are the winners and losers from this Sunday’s match-up between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings.

Winner: Aaron Rodgers

Once again, Aaron Rodgers goes out and shows us why he is in contention for the leagues MVP award along with adding another Superbowl championship to his repertoire.  In another stellar outing, he manages to complete 24 passes out of 30 attempts and throw for 335 yards.  He also added in three touchdown passes with zero interceptions and an overall quarterback rating of 146.5. 

His throws were precise and well timed.  In the third quarter, Rodgers even managed to show off his scramble abilities while rolling out right and finding Greg Jennings for a 79-yard touchdown pass. 

One of the best words to describe his playing style is cerebral.  He reads the defense and ultimately makes the best throw while avoiding risk and turnovers.  

Winner: Adrian Peterson

Well it looks like starting Adrian Peterson on our fantasy teams was a good idea for yet another week.  Although his team was on the losing end, Peterson had one heck of a performance. 

He carried the ball 24 times while rushing for 175 yards and one touchdown.  The decision to start an inexperienced quarterback in Christian Ponder forced Peterson to have a good game in order to have even a chance of winning.  Peterson was the only rusher in the game to break over 100 yards which also shows the lack of rush offense from both sides.

Losers: Christian Ponder

Christian Ponder was not expected to do too much against the aggressive defense of the Green Bay Packers.  While watching his amateur performance against the Packers, it was evident that he could not keep up with the well-oiled machine that is the Packers offense.

Granted, Ponder did show signs at points during the second half that he could develop into a pretty decent quarterback throwing into tight windows with decisive moves and check-downs to open receivers.  

However, at the end of the game, he was recorded throwing well under 50 percent efficiency along with two touchdowns and interceptions.  Ponder had a hard time working under pressure and keeping a consistent drive going.  

Winner: Charles Woodson

The Green Bay Packers have been criticized for having a weak defense that allows too many yards and too many points.  Although this may be true, they are still undefeated, and one of the biggest reasons is defensive back Charles Woodson. 

Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder threw two interceptions, both of which were caught by Packers corner Charles Woodson.  After his second pick, cameras picked him up running the ball over to a little girl sitting in the stands with her family.  It was one of those moments that really show a lot about the person under the helmet.

Woodson had great game proving once again to all the critics that the Packers are for real and on a mission to repeat as Superbowl champions.

Winner: James Starks

On paper, the rushing attack of the Green Bay Packers looks abysmal.  However, for anyone who watched the game, Starks had a big impact on the game when he needed to. 

Starks only had 75 yards rushing which looks fairly remedial in terms of statistics.  However, he only had 13 attempts, which equates to roughly 5.8 yards per carry.  On an efficiency level, he played well and it showed greatest during the final 2 minutes of the game. 

With the Vikings defense desperately trying to force the Packers into a three-and-out, Starks managed to plow through the defense and pick up the necessary yardage to keep the clock moving. 

Although his stats might not have been all that impressive, his ability to run efficiently in late game situations gives this Packers offense the ability to maintain a any size leads alleviating more pressure off of Rodgers.  

Losers: Vikings Secondary

The Packers once again lit up the scoreboard with a 33-point outing against the Minnesota Vikings. 

For the most part, the front defensive line looked pretty good forcing Rodgers out of the pocket and even sacking him four times.  However, the secondary had plenty of blown assignments that took the wind out of their sails in a hurry. 

In the third quarter, Rodgers scrambled out of the pocket and found a wide-open receiver in Greg Jennings for a 79-yard touchdown pass with no defender in a 10-yard perimeter around him. 

The secondary had blown assignments that really hurt the entire Minnesota team whose offense was playing fairly well up until that point.

After the half, the Packers went onto to a 20 point third quarter while holding the Vikings offense to zero points.  This was the turning point in the game.  

Winner: Mason Crosby

Mason Crosby had four field goals in the Packers win against the Vikings.  One of those four included a Green Bay franchise record 58-yard boot. 

Although this may not seem that significant, who knows if further down the road lies another situation in which Crosby will be called upon for a big time kick.  With every kick that goes through, he is proving that he can make the long kick.

Winner: Jared Allen

Unfortunately, we have not heard much about Jared Allen this year.  This is mainly due to his team holding a 1-6 record. 

However what most people do not know is that he has a NFL league leading 11.5 sacks this season.  In an all out effort, Allen did his best to contain the leagues best thrower, but it looked at times that Rodgers was too quick and precise on this throws going six for six on his first drive. 

Allen is playing at a Pro Bowl level and hopefully the overall record that Minnesota possesses does not overshadow the news of his fantastic year.   

Loser: Packers Defense

As good as the overall record of the Green Bay Packers is, the defense is still managing to give up a ton of yards to the opposition. 

There is always the argument that regardless of the numbers they are still undefeated.  In many places that may be true because ultimately in professional sports it is about winning.  However, when the Packers start playing teams in the elite caliber, these numbers are not going to result in wins.

Against Christian Ponder and the Minnesota Vikings offense, the Packs allowed 435 total yards.  Luckily for Green Bay, Ponder also threw two interceptions and they have arguably the best quarterback in the league to put up points on the offensive side as compensation. 

If the Packers do not improve the defense and start allowing much fewer yards, they will have to face a grim reality if facing teams such as the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, and New England Patriots who can all put up gaudy numbers on the scoreboard.  

Winner: Green Bay Receivers

To have an effective offense, all the players need to be in sync with each other.  It starts from the lineman giving the quarterback protection, to the receivers finding open areas of the defense.  Finally, it goes to the quarterback finding those targets and making the accurate throw.

If there were quarterback grades for the ability to find a multitude of receivers, Aaron Rodgers would have an A+.  During this game, Rodgers was able to find nine different receivers and even those players who may not be as well known such as Andrew Quarless. 

Rodgers’ ability to find anyone on the field who gets open will give hope to those player’s on the sideline who are looking to make a name for themselves as receivers.  Knowing that their quarterback will find them if they are open gives every receiver more drive to find that opening in the defense and therefore a stronger offense.