Do the Vikings have a chance of beating the 8-0 Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football? Not if Donovan McNabb was starting. But that was then, and Christian Ponder is now.
With the rookie giving Purple fans hope for a brighter tomorrow, it only makes sense that the “Vikings have a chance” stories are coming out of the woodwork.
Let’s start with the Bleacher Report, where Ponder and the return of Antoine Winfield are among 5 reasons why Minnesota might shock the Packers.
Guy N. Limbeck and Jason Feldman, sports reporters for the Rochester Post-Bulletin, are both predicting a Packers victory, but both think the Vikings have an outside shot at victory — especially considering Green Bay’s 31st-ranked pass defense. As Limbeck puts it, “it just seems like a matter of time before the defense costs the Packers a game this season.”
Back to Ponder. Will he be wigged out in front of thousands of screaming cheeseheads? This week, the rookie didn’t seem that bothered by it. In his words: “It will be an electrifying atmosphere, but the crowd’s not playing.”
While Ponder goes the level-headed route, when does reality set in? Maybe when you consider exactly who the Vikings are facing. A guy by the name of Aaron Rodgers — who is at home and is having perhaps the best season for a quarterback in NFL history.
What do the network experts expect? Pretty much a Packers victory, but a few on the NFL Today crew say it’ll be closer than most people think:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifj60bOkJio
As for the last word, let’s hear from the trio actually calling the came, ESPN’s Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden, who produced this video clip just for us.
What are your thoughts? Is this the week when the Pack goes to 8-1? Or are Vikings fans simply dreaming?
