Great Season Done

Green Bay Packers 24
Minnesota Vikings 10

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers.

Joe Webb became the first quarterback since 1950 to start a playoff game without throwing a pass during the season.

The Vikings needed to have most everything go right to beat the Packers in Green Bay. The first difficulty hit before the game even started when quarterback Christian Ponder was ruled out with an elbow injury.
Webb got the start. While he brings an exciting running threat it was apparent early that he hadn't thrown a pass in a game this season. It took him about three quarters to start throwing accurate passes. By then, the score was 24-3.

The Vikings had a nice looking drive to start the game. It was a win for the Packers that it ended with a field goal. Running back Adrian Peterson and Webb combined for a potent running game. They needed that touchdown.

Of the Packers three touchdowns two were the direct result of preseason errors by the Vikings. On a 3rd and 2 in the first half the Vikings had a stop. Only Kevin Williams lined up in the neutral zone. He's the closest defender to the ball. 1st down Packers. In the second half, the Vikings defense stopped a Packers drive to force a short field goal. The Vikings had 12 men on the field for the field goal attempt. 1st down Packers. Both mistakes led to touchdowns. These are mistakes that you can't have in the regular season.

The return of safety/corner/linebacker/rover/do everything Charles Woodson was a huge boost for the Packers yesterday and moving forward. He changes games and he made a huge impact yesterday. He may not have been all over the stat sheet but he was all over the field.

The Vikings have a rookie safety in Harrison Smith that may one day have a similar all over the field impact as Woodson. In a disappointing game for the Vikings, Smith was fantastic. There was a real scare in the second half when he was down on the field with an obvious leg injury. Fortunately it wasn't serious. He returned to the game and continued to make plays. Smith has an especially bright future.

While the Vikings never really threatened once they were down by three touchdowns, they had an opportunity when they forced a Packers punt from inside the twenty early in the 4th quarter. A punt to midfield had the Vikings in a real nice position until returner Marcus Sherels dropped the ball. The Packers recovered and basically sealed the game.

Like the Packers did in 2010 and the Giants did in 2007 and last year, this Packers team is getting healthy and hot at the right time. They might have lost to the Vikings last week but it just feels like the Packers are starting a playoff run. The offense can score with anyone with Aaron Rodgers throwing to an abundance of playmaking receivers. The defense is talented and they have Woodson back. They face the San Francisco 49ers next week. I can see the winner of that game in the Super Bowl.

The player of the game for the Packers might have been safety Morgan Burnett when he hit Ponder's elbow last week. The Vikings had gotten on a nice run to end the season. The offense was starting to click beyond the fantastic running of Peterson. They hit the playoffs on a roll and they open the playoffs without their quarterback. There's no guarantee that the Vikings would have won this game with Ponder but the team that made the playoffs wasn't the team that played yesterday. It's not a knock on Webb either. It's just a tough way to open the playoffs.

As a Vikings fan, it's difficult to be disappointed with this season. Any season that ends short of a Super Bowl win is a season that ends too soon. I'm disappointed with this game as this Vikings team is definitely moving in the right direction. It's been fun watching them grow through this season. I wanted to see the run continue. I wanted to see more of this team. I wanted to see Ponder get his first taste of the playoffs. I wanted to see more Peterson runs. This Vikings team is a young team. This Vikings team wasn't supposed to be here. They were supposed to be at the bottom of the NFC North. The Packers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions were all supposed to be better. The Vikings are better than the Bears and the Lions and the difference between them and the Packers is a whole lot closer than anyone thought. The Vikings were 3-13 last year. 10-6 this year and in the playoffs. This Vikings season was far more than anyone else expected. They are only getting better.

Next year is bad news for the rest of the NFL.