| Green
Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones (89) looks to break a
tackle by Minnesota Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson (21)
after making a reception during the first half of an NFL
football game Sunday, in Minneapolis. |
 |
GREEN BAY - It's
not just wild-card weekend in Minnesota and Green Bay.
It's Groundhog Day.
Six days after
facing off in the regular-season finale, and five weeks after their
first meeting of the season, the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay
Packers are at it again Saturday night. This is no yawner of a
sequel, though, not when the stakes are win or winter vacation.
"Like I tell
the team, it doesn't matter who comes out of that tunnel, I don't
care what color they have on," Packers coach Mike McCarthy
said. "It's about fundamentals, matchups, and that's what we're
focused on. We're playing at home, it's going to be a great
environment. ... The Vikings obviously have done a great job to get
into the tournament, and we respect that, but this is a different
deal.
"This is what
everybody's been fighting for, and this is what we're excited
about."
Minnesota (10-6)
and Green Bay (11-5) split their first two meetings, with the
Vikings' victory last Sunday in Minneapolis giving them the last
wild-card spot. It also dropped the Packers from the No. 2 to the
No. 3 seed, and forced the NFC North champs to work a weekend they
were hoping to have off.
At least neither
team had to scramble to dig up film or scouting reports.
As division rivals,
the Packers and Vikings already know plenty about each other. After
playing twice in December, they know each other so well they could
probably call each other's plays. There won't be any big surprises,
no new wrinkles to the offense or defense that the other hasn't
already seen.
"So much
familiarity with the team that we are playing because of the number
of times we have played them in the last month and a half,"
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. "So not a whole lot that
needs to be discussed as far as getting motivated to play this
game."
The Vikings game
plan will be simple: Give the ball to Adrian Peterson and get out of
the way.
That's the plan
pretty much every week, but particularly against Green Bay. He's
rushed for 409 yards in their two games, more than some running
backs manage in 16, and is averaging a whopping 7.4 yards per carry.
He had the longest run of his career, 82 yards for a touchdown, in
the Dec. 2 game, and a career-high 34 carries on Sunday.
Peterson has gained
more yards against Green Bay (1,442 in 12 games) than any other
team, and he chews up the Lambeau Field grass as easily as the
Metrodome turf.
"It's just the
rivalry," he said. "There's more emphasis on that game
because we know that's a team that we have to beat in order to
accomplish our goals we've set forth."
Yeah, but the
Packers had a goal last weekend, too, and that didn't help against
Peterson.
"We had the
right calls, we just need to be a little smarter as far as where we
fit and then a little more accountable and reliable as far as what
we do," Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said. "There were
a couple of times where, perhaps playing somebody else, we could
fall inside somebody else's gap. With this team, they'll make you
pay and that's exactly what happened.
"It was a good
test and obviously we'll come back here ready."
Now, having the
Vikings come to Lambeau for the playoffs would seem an advantage for
the Packers. Minnesota hasn't won in Green Bay since 2009, the last
year the Vikings made the playoffs, and the Packers have won 20 of
their last 22 games at home.
But the Packers
have lost their last two home playoff games, including last year to
the Giants when they were the NFC's No. 1 seed.
"It's not
something we've thought about or really talked about since probably
April," Aaron Rodgers said. "We want to be playing the
right way obviously. We had a good stretch there. We won nine out of
11 games and played a lot of really good opponents, tough opponents,
tough games on the road.
"I like the
way we're playing," he added. "I think we have the right
mindset, a good group of leaders in this locker room and a lot of
guys who've won a lot of regular season, a lot of postseason games.
We're excited about our team and excited about our opportunity in
front of us."
Especially since
Green Bay's high-powered offense is finally at full strength.
The Packers' top
four receivers — Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Randall
Cobb — have played less than three full games together this
season, with Jennings (torn groin muscle), Nelson (hamstring) and
Cobb (ankle) missing a total of 13 games. But all are healthy now,
and the Vikings got an idea of how tough it will be to contain them
last week, when the Packers piled up 405 yards of offense and scored
34 points.
Expect this week to
bring more of the same.
"We'll tweak
our offense, they'll tweak their defense. Each team's going to look
at what transpired on Sunday and try to make some adjustments to
make sure they're better than they were on Sunday," Green Bay
offensive coordinator Tom Clements said. "Playing outside, it
can be a different type of game depending on what the weather's
like. But it's still going to be a battle. They're a good defense,
we're a good offense. They run the ball on offense, we've got to
play on defense.
"It's the same
type of game. Just different location."
|
