Minnesota magic: Vikings defeat Packers 38-26

D-Day finally hit Green Bay. For the first time ever, Packers fans watched Brett Favre come into Lambeau Field as an opposing player. The boos were loud from the minute Favre walked onto the field, to the minute he left after doing several post-game interviews. It was the biggest game of the year for both the Vikings and the Packers, and all Favre did was send Packers fans home disappointed. 

At 40 years old, Favre put together yet another masterful performance, completing 17-of-28 passes for 244 yards and four touchdown passes in a 38-26 win. What's more, Favre threw no interceptions, something he did not do in the first meeting with Green Bay on October 5. 

Though Favre spoke all week about how this game had nothing to do with revenge, it clearly meant a great deal to him. Green Bay was Favre's home for 16 years, and he had hundreds of incredible moments there. 

Packers fans were with him through good, bad and devastating. They cheered him on every step of the way, and many still do -- when he's playing a different team. When it came to this meeting, this gut-wrenching sight of seeing Favre play against the Packers at Lambeau for the first time in his career, all Packers fans could do was boo, and boo some more. What else were they to do? Their hero was now the enemy, and he had already defeated them once this season.  Moreover, Packers fans had to stand up and support their new quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. 

On this day, Favre turned in a classic performance, much to the dismay of Packers fans everywhere. Every throw he needed to make, he made. His arm looked as strong as ever, and he was right on the money with each throw. On a touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, Favre fit the ball into a small window, and Shiancoe was quickly able to find the endzone. The next was a deep ball to Percy Harvin, which went for 51 yards. The last two touchdowns came in the red zone, one to fullback Jeff Dugan and the other to wide receiver Bernard Berrian, the latter of which put the game away for the Vikings. 

With the win, the Vikings have swept the Packers in the season series. For Favre, he got the revenge that he claimed his was not out to get. "Am I pleased with the way these two games have turned out? Absolutely," Favre said." It had nothing to do with trying to prove myself to anyone. I still have a passion for it. It's a little bit tougher to get up and bounce back but my arm feels great. My mind is in a good place, the team has welcomed me in and really all the other stuff doesn't matter. I know it makes for a good story. But I'm glad it's over, I'm glad we won both but I'm not going to sit here and throw any daggers.”

While the win certainly meant much to Favre, it also was an important game for the Vikings in the NFC North race. At 3-0 and in the division and 7-1 overall, the Vikings have a two game lead over the Packers, which virtually turns into three based on the tiebreaker. 

Green Bay, now 4-3, played well, but there is one gaping hole that this team must address if it wants to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth in the NFC: the offensive line. In the two games versus the Vikings this season, Green Bay's offensive line gave up a total of 14 sacks. 14. Under no circumstances should an offensive line perform that poorly, especially in the two biggest games of the season. Sure, pro bowl tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher have been injured, but that's no excuse. Having depth on the offensive line is paramount in the NFL, and the fact that the Packers don't have it is a reflection on the team's front office. Being forced to start rookie T.J. Lang at left tackle is not good, especially when he had to block All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen. 

Moreover, the Vikings were the better team in all phases of the game. Harvin, the electric rookie wide receiver who quickly is establishing as one of the most explosive players in the National Football League, made his presence felt in the receiving game and on special teams Sunday. Adrian Peterson had an impact, as did Shiancoe, Berrian and a host of others. Defensively, the Vikings out-played Green Bay, especially in pressuring Rodgers. 

In a game where the quarterbacks were on everyone's attention, Rodgers played well. He threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, but there had to be some moments where fans questioned his decision-making. There's little doubt that Rodgers will develop into a very good quarterback in the future, but he still has a lot to learn. Several of the sacks that he took were based on the fact that he held onto the ball too long, not the fact that the offensive line struggled. Though Favre faced little pressure on Sunday, he rarely holds onto the ball too long. That is something Rodgers must improve if he wants to become an upper-echelon quarterback. 

Even though Minnesota came away with the win on Sunday, it's clear that the Packers have the talent to compete. Whether they have the heart, will and desire to win big football games is an issue that must be further examined. For the Vikings, that questioned has already been answered in a big way. Now it's just a matter of capitalizing on that ability.