UPDATE: At today's press conference, Head Coach Brad Childress named team captains for the 2008 season: Offense - Steve Hutchinson ... Defense - E.J. Henderson ... Special Teams - Ryan Longwell.
What better way to open a season packed with exciting expectations than with a Monday Night Football contest against a longtime division rival at Lambeau Field? That’s exactly what the Vikings will do in a matter of days as they kickoff the 2008 campaign.
No player finds himself in the NFL spotlight more than the quarterback. And this will especially be the case for both quarterbacks in this matchup – Tarvaris Jackson and Aaron Rodgers. Jackson will be leading an offense that features the reigning NFL Rookie of the Year – Adrian Peterson – and a passing attack the will get a boost with the addition of Bernard Berrian. Rodgers, on the other hand, takes reign of the Packers offense in the wake of the departure of Brett Favre. Both men are in pressure-packed positions.
Rodgers and the Packers come off a season that saw them lose to eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Their 13-3 record last season was good enough for a division title and included two wins over the Purple. The Packers were led by Favre and his 28 touchdowns, but the team also got a late-season lift from running back Ryan Grant, who rushed for 956 yards, and a solid defense, which ranked tied for sixth in points allowed.
The Vikings put together a five-game winning streak late last season and almost found themselves in the playoffs. A few heart-breaking losses early in the season were enough to prevent them from postseason play, but the team will look to bounce back this year and mark an improvement in the win column for the second straight year.
Monday night’s contest will feature two solid defensive units – the Vikings are best in the league at stopping the run while the Packers feature a well-balanced unit loaded with veteran and young talent. This will put pressure on Rodgers to pass the ball effectively, but the Vikings have a new weapon to help their struggling pass defense.
The Purple acquired Jared Allen this past offseason in a trade with Kansas City, and the team is looking to him to infuse its pass rush by helping to apply pressure to the passer. You can be assured that Green Bay’s two main focuses will be stopping Adrian Peterson and moving the chains via the pass against the Vikings defense.
The Vikings, meanwhile, will probably look to prove their stripes in the passing game so they can unleash the tandem of Peterson and Chester Taylor on the Packers defense. This will give Minnesota an advantage in time of possession and it will keep Rodgers and the Packers offense on the sideline. Defensively, the Vikings will look to squash the run early and allow Allen and the rest of the defensive line to pin their ears back and rush the passer.
Monday night will see two rivals try and exert their will on one another. One team will come out on top, and that team will have the early edge in the race for the 2008 NFC North championship.
