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5 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

5 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

5 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

13 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.

Not a whole lot of action thus far, as the only scoring has come courtesy of a Jeff Reed 39-yard field goal to make it 3-0, Steelers.

The conversation continues here!

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-0)	GAME #7	PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-2)
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Yeah, yeah, I know. . .bad pun.

I'd like to kick this Game Thread off by apologizing to both you folks and the Steeler fans that have happened by during the course of the week for the lack of interaction between us and the folks from Behind the Steel Curtain this week.  I've had a lot of stuff going on here, what with the notification of my next assignment, finishing up a college course I'm taking, and a few other things.  This week has been the exception, not the rule, as far as interacting with our non-divisional opponents, and I will effort to make sure that this doesn't occur again this season.

That having been said, after last week's "biggest test of the year," the Beloved Purple move on to their new biggest test of the year this week, as they road trip to the Steel City to take on the defending World Champions.  Vikings' cornerback Antoine Winfield is expected to miss this one as he rests his sprained foot, while star safety Troy Polamalu is expected to play for the Steelers, albeit with a heavy brace on his knee.  This game should be an interesting clash between a couple of the league's premiere teams.  So, what are the keys for the Vikings in this one?

1) Control the time of possession - With the absence of Winfield in the secondary and Ben Roethlisberger having a monster year behind center for the Steelers, the Vikings' best strategy is to hang on to the football and keep the Steeler offense on the sidelines.  When one realizes that Pittsburgh is one of the NFL's best defenses against the run, that sounds like something that's easier said than done.  But, according to the folks at Football Outsiders, with as good as the Steeler defense has been this season, they've been pretty much awful on third downs.  Based on DVOA, the Steelers are 28th against the pass on third down and dead last against the run on third down this season.  If the Vikings are going to win, they're going to have to convert third downs at a significant clip and keep the offense on the field.

2) Get to Roethlisberger often - If you've watched the Steelers during the Roethlisberger era, you know that Big Ben likes to hold on to the ball. . .and hold it. . .and hold it. . .and get rid of it at the last possible second.  With his propensity for holding on to the ball, it's very likely that the Vikings will get to him a time or two today.  However, a time or two isn't going to be enough.  Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and company are going to need to be in his face all afternoon long to make things as tough on him as possible.

3) Be. . .aggressive.  B-E aggressive - Last week was an example of Brad Childress, seemingly, being afraid to blow a team out.  The Vikings scored two quick touchdowns against the Ravens, and then completely went into a shell offensively until the end of the game when they had to mount a furious comeback after Baltimore made the necessary adjustments and took the lead.  This trend can not continue.  The Vikings have a ton of offensive talent, and if they find something that works, they need to stick with it.  If that's pounding Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor at a Steeler defense that recently lost their best run defender (DE Aaron Smith), then they need to stick with it.  If that's Brett Favre going after a Steeler secondary with a gimpy Polamalu, then they need to stick with that.  Either way, this team absolutely can't let off of the throttle if they jump out to a quick lead.

On the New York Times' Fifth Down blog, Mike Tanier of Football Outsiders says that "this may be the greatest Vikings team ever assembled, better than the 1998 flash-in-the-pan that finished 15-1, better than the 1970s conference powerhouse that this team so closely resembles."  But even the 1998 team lost a game, and the 1974 team that faced the Steelers in Super Bowl IX only went 10-4, so even if this is the "greatest Vikings team ever assembled," they're still going to have a stumble or two. . .and I think one of those stumbles happens today.

Back in April, when I did my insanely early look at the Vikings' schedule, I said this about the matchup with the Steelers:

I won't lie to you, folks. . .out of the sixteen games on Minnesota's 2009 schedule, there's only one that I can honestly say that I don't think the Vikings have any real shot at winning.  And it's this one.  The Steelers are just that good.  If this game was in Minnesota, I might give us a slight chance.  At Pittsburgh, on the other hand?  Not so much, no.  Sure, we might catch the Steelers on a bad day or something. . .crazier things have happened before. . .but that's not something we should necessarily be betting on.

Yes, that was before Brett Favre and everything else, I get that.  But I still don't think we win this one.  I think it will be close, but I can't shake the feeling that it's going to be too much Roethlisberger and Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes for a secondary without one of the best CBs in the National Football League to handle.  I don't pick the Vikings to lose often, and when I do I tend to be wrong (see me picking the Vikings to lose the game that Adrian Peterson rushed for 296 yards). . .and, believe me, I'd love to be wrong today.  Hopefully everyone will be able to line up and say "I told you so" after this one is done with.

It's about an hour and a half until game time, as per usual.  We hope to see everyone here for what should be the game of the day in the NFL for Week 7.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!