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JASON: Let's make this quick, Helmet Hair. I'm hitting the road for Lambeau in a few minutes and I don't want to miss the free cheese in the press box. How badly are the crazy Sconnies going to treat Brett Favre on Sunday?
GUY: Oh, it's going to be bad. Cheese will be foaming out of their mouths and beer will be spewing out of their noses. Packers fans might be extra mad at Vikings fans who dare make the trip to the game. Because it has to be somebody's fault that the Golden Brett is wearing Purple and showing up to play against the Packers.
JASON: I blame it on you, Helmet Hair. I don't know how you evaded those NFL tampering charges last summer. The more important question, though, is how will the Golden Brett play? He was able to keep his nerves in check at the Metrodome on Monday Night Football earlier this month. But will he return to gunslinger form at Lambeau and start throwing the ball to anyone who moves, including the beer vendor in the second row and/or Charles Woodson? If he does, Sunday afternoon will be a long one for Vikings fans.
GUY: Favre has a habit of putting up big numbers when something big has happened in his life, like the week his father died. This will be a new set of emotions for him. The way he's been talking, he will be very nervous before the game. Once he takes that first hit, the jitters should fade away. He seems to be getting more comfortable in the Vikings offense, so I expect him to play well. But how will the Vikings offense handle that improving Packers defense?
JASON: You said it -- once Favre takes that first hit the jitters should fade. The problem comes if he continues to take hit after hit. This is the sixth time this season already that the Vikes will face a 3-4 defense. Thankfully, it looks like the last time it'll happen in the regular season. The Packers defense will be better this week, with Atari Bigby back at safety, but I can't figure out why they have one of the best hand-in-the-dirt pass rushers in the NFL playing a stand-up outside linebacker. I'd much rather see Aaron Kampman dropping into coverage than rushing past Phil Loadholt.
GUY: Kampman didn't do a lot against Loadholt in the first meeting. And while the Packers defense has been very good the last two games, it is going to quickly discover the Vikings offense is light years ahead of the Lions and Browns. The Vikings have totaled nearly 800 yards of offense the past two games against the Ravens and Steelers. They will be able to move the ball against the Packers. The trick will be to avoid turnovers in the red zone. The Vikings have to run the ball more. Adrian Peterson had just 18 carries against the Steelers while Favre threw 50 passes. Plus, the Vikings passed twice from the Steelers' 1 instead of using the best back in football to try to get a touchdown.
JASON: The Vikings coaches will have much more confidence in running A.P. in the red zone this week. Not that the Packers front seven is lousy, but it's not the Steelers front seven. Those two passes from Pittsburgh's 1 were disturbing. The Vikes coaches got scared. That won't happen this week -- it can't happen this week. But can the Vikings' defense contain Aaron Rodgers or, with no Antoine Winfield, will he close in on 400 passing yards again?
GUY: The Vikings held Big Ben to 175 yards passing last week, basically in three quarters since the Vikings had the ball most of the fourth. Rodgers is a very solid quarterback and he is going to get his yards. But Benny Sapp and Karl Paymah did much better in coverage against the Steelers. The problem is Paymah can't defend the run or tackle like Winfield. Still, Ryan Grant isn't going to rush for 140-plus yards like he did last week against the Browns. Grant will be lucky to muster 75 yards this week. And in the first meeting, Jared Allen sacked Rodgers four times.
JASON: Throw out that first meeting, Helmet Hair. This is Lambeau Field. Weird stuff happens every time these teams play there. And it is Halloween on Saturday, so perhaps we'll see someone dressed up as Antonio Freeman with Cris Dishman trailing him. Or dressed as Ben Steele pulling a fumble away from Ralph Brown. Or dressed as Randy Moss and a goalpost. ... The Vikings are the better team, but not this week, not at Lambeau. Packers 27, Vikings 24.
GUY: Funny thing about all those games you just mentioned. Brett Favre was the winning quarterback each time. And for those of you keeping track at home, the Vikings have won the past two games in the series. I like that trend to continue. Vikings 27, Packers 20.
Jason Feldman is flip-flopping on his game prediction, an art he learned from Brett Favre.
While Captain Purple and his cape are in the Packers pressbox for the game, Guy N. Limbeck will be watching from home.