More photos » by Andy King - AP

5 days ago: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson runs against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter of their NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy King)

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After a first half where the Vikings dominated the stat sheet, they somehow only find themselves ahead 10-3 against that peskiest of pesky opponents, the Detroit Lions.  The Vikings' lone touchdown came on a ridiculous 22-yard touchdown run by the man pictured on the right there, Adrian Peterson.  Peterson has 12 carries for 100 yards in the first half, but has also been credited with two fumbles (one of which may not have been his fault).  That and the Vikings getting stuffed in the red zone on 4th and 6" by inexplicably handing the ball off to Jeff Dugan have played huge roles in contributing to the Vikings' lead only being 7 points.

Brett Favre is 11/16 for 197 yards in the first quarter of play.  Sidney Rice has caught six of those passes for 145 yards.

Join us here for the second half excitement, ladies and gentlemen!  Remember, our last game against Detroit was close at halftime, too, and the Beloved Purple wound up winning by 14 points.  Let's hope this one takes a similar tack.

DETROIT LIONS (1-7)	GAME #9	MINNESOTA VIKINGS (7-1)
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Well, after the excruciating hell that is the bye week, the 2009 NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings will kick off the second half of their season against a familiar foe, the Detroit Lions.  Although the Vikings have won 14 of the last 15 meetings against Detroit, they've been the source of some consternation for the Beloved Purple over the past few years, playing the Vikings much closer than many folks might have thought them capable of.  Since defeating the Washington Redskins back in Week 3, the Lions haven't notched another victory, while the Vikings have been on a sizable roll over the first half of the 2009 season.

So, what do the Vikings need to do in order to continue their domination of the Lions?

1) Don't get cocky - Yes, the Vikings are a much better football team than the Lions, and the NFC North division race has pretty much been decided.  But as we saw in both Vikings/Lions games last season, this team can't be taking anybody lightly.  Minnesota has a three game homestand coming out of the bye, and they can establish some pretty good momentum to carry themselves through the next two games with a solid performance against a team that, on paper, they should blow out.

2) Get after Matthew Stafford - The rookie out of Georgia got his first career touchdown pass in the first meeting this year between these two teams.  Unfortunately for him, he also threw two interceptions (both to LB Chad Greenway) and, to be honest, didn't look terribly impressive.  For the year, Stafford has five touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and is coming off of a five interception meltdown against a Seattle defense that. . .well, let's say they're not quite as good as Minnesota's.  The Vikings got pretty good pressure on Stafford in the last meeting, and if they can continue that trend this afternoon, it could be a long day for young Matthew.

3) Remain balanced - For the most part, the Vikings have done a pretty good job of keeping the offense balanced.  The one game where the playcalling was too heavily one-sided was the game against Pittsburgh. . .and, not coincidentally, that's the only game Minnesota has lost to this point.  If the Vikings can keep a 50/50 run/pass ratio like they should in this one, it would be quite beneficial.  (Or, you know, if they could finish the game with their second stringers on the field like they did in the last meeting against the Lions, that would be even better.)

We're about an hour and a half away from kickoff, ladies and gentlemen.  Hopefully you'll join us all here for the best game-time discussion of Vikings' football on the internet!

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!

More photos » by =Name= - AP

19 days ago: Minnesota Vikings' Pat Williams(94) celebrates a sack as teammate Jared Allen (69) looks on during the first half against the Green Bay Packers in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

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Well, what a crappy third quarter for the Purple.  The Vikings opened things with a 51-yard bomb from Brett Favre to Percy Harvin to make the score 24-3, but the Packers have scored on a field goal and two Aaron Rodgers to Spencer Havner touchdown passes to make it 24-20 going into the final stanza at Lambeau.

Can the Vikings hang on?  They have 1st and goal at the Green Bay 9 as we head back to the action.

More photos » by Mike Roemer - AP

19 days ago: Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson leaps on a carry against the Green Bay Packers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

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The Vikings have dominated the first half of play, and have taken a 17-3 lead over the Packers at Lambeau.

Favre completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Visanthe Shiancoe to make it 14-3, and Ryan Longwell connected on a 41-yarder at the end of the half to make it 17-3 in favor of the Beloved Purple.

Adrian Peterson has 15 carries for 59 yards and a TD, and Brett Favre is 11/15 for 97 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.  The Vikings have also sacked Aaron Rodgers four times already, with Ray Edwards getting two and Jared Allen and Pat Williams collecting one a piece.

Minnesota gets the ball to start the second half, and they have a real opportunity to step on the throats of the Packers with this drive.

Let's light this candle!

More photos » by Jeffrey Phelps - AP

19 days ago: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre runs onto Lambeau Field before the Minnesota Vikings-Green Bay Packers NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

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Mental mistakes abound in the first quarter, as a bad snap by John Sullivan led to a Packer field goal to make it 3-0, but a big Percy Harvin kick return and a mental mistake by Johnny Jolly after the Packers stopped the Vikings on third down led to a 1-yard Adrian Peterson TD run to make the score 7-3 Minnesota as we move on to the second quarter.

The fun continues inside, folks. . .join us!

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-1)	GAME #8	GREEN BAY PACKERS (4-2)
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Hey, so there's a game this afternoon, I hear.

You know, I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but I'm not nearly as amped up for this game as I was for the clash at the Dome a few weeks ago.  Am I more confident?  Not necessarily, even though (as you can see) I think the Vikings win this afternoon.  Is it having to wait until 3:15 to see the game?  Maybe a bit.  Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for kickoff and everything, but I'm not crazy or nervous like I was before the Week 4 matchup.

So, what are the keys this afternoon?

1) Keep Favre upright - In the first meeting between these two teams, Brett Favre saw very little in the way of a pass rush from the Packer defense.  Part of this likely stems from Green Bay's boneheaded decision to take one of the best pass rushing defensive linemen in football, Aaron Kampman, and make him drop back into coverage a lot.  Kampman is, allegedly, playing more on the line of scrimmage since the Packers' bye, but we'll see how well that works against a quality team like Minnesota as opposed to teams like Cleveland and Detroit.  Favre is 6-0 in his career against teams that have either been coached by or had their defenses coordinated by current Packer defensive coordinator Dom Capers, so the next time that guy fools #4 will be the first.  If the Vikings can keep Favre's jersey clean, it should be a very good day for the ol' gunslinger.

2) Get to Aaron Rodgers - The Packers keep moving people around on the offensive line, and the net result is a unit that still isn't very good.  Jared Allen will likely be matched up against rookie T.J. Lang, who #69 had his way with as an injury replacement in the first game.  The Packers' starting center, Jason Spitz, also appears likely to miss today's game, which is good for the Williams Wall.  The Packers are down to three healthy wide receivers, and TE Jermichael Finley (who put on a show against the Vikings a few weeks ago) is a "long shot" to play today, according to Packers coach Mike McCarthy.  That could limit some of the package the Packers like to run, such as their five-wide set.  That might mean they leave more guys in to block, but the Vikings showed in the first matchup that they can get to Rodgers regardless.  They need to keep that trend going today.

3) Let the Packers pick their poison - Green Bay has a choice to make.  They can either focus on stopping Adrian Peterson and let Favre go nuts (like they did in Week 4), or they can devote more guys to the pass and let #28 go crazy (like they did in the 2008 matchup at the Dome where AP got 192 yards on them).  They've shown that they're not good enough to do both.  The Vikings need to figure out what the Packers' plan is and keep attacking it.

This game can pretty much put the NFC North division on ice for the Beloved Purple if they can pull out a victory today.  It would give them a season sweep of the Packers and, essentially, a three-game lead over Green Bay going into the Vikings' bye week.  With a three-game homestand coming out of the chute after the bye against three teams that aren't particularly good (Detroit, Seattle, and Chicago), the Vikings could find themselves in very, VERY good shape if they win this afternoon.

It's about ninety minutes before kickoff, ladies and gentlemen. . .and, in a sign that the football gods are smiling down on us, the Vikings are the featured game today on Fox, and we won't have to listen to one second of whining douchebaggery from Joe Buck, as he's busy with that whole World Series thing going on in Philadelphia tonight.  In the words of latter-day American philosopher Ice Cube. . ."Today. . .is a good day."

Oh, and since I haven't mentioned it already. . .our intrepid co-blogger Eric is actually going to be in Green Bay today.  He'll be part of an interview session with Bart Starr, Jan Stenerud, and Paul Krause before heading to Brett Favre Field to take in the game.  Hopefully he'll be checking in with some live reports as the game goes along.  Have a good time, Eric!

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

26 days ago: Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson (28) and teammate Jeff Dugan, rear, celebrate his second-quarter touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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The Vikings and Steelers exchanged field goals again in the second half, so we head to the final stanza with the Steelers still ahead by 3 points, 13-10.

Still completely disappointed by the Vikings' play-calling on 1st and goal from the 1, but can't worry about that now.

Can the Vikings stay undefeated?  We'll know in about 15 minutes.

A bit more action in the second quarter of play, as both teams put the ball into the end zone.

Minnesota's touchdown came on a 2-yard run by Adrian Peterson after a very impressive 13-play drive.  Ben Roethlisberger answered in the two-minute drill as the Vikings inexplicably went to a soft zone defense, allowing Mike Wallace to get free for a 40-yard touchdown reception.

The score stands at 10-7 in favor of Pittsburgh, and the Steelers will get the ball first coming out of the locker room.  Let's hope the Vikings can shake off the bad ending of the first half and come out firing again.