4-0 Vikings sack Packers 30-23
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 10/08/2009
Now that one quarter of the 2009 season is complete, the Vikings have established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC North. Just remember these numbers: 8-0.
The Vikings sacked Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers eight times, four and a half by Jared Allen. “This has got to be right up their at the top,” said Allen. Asked if it was his best game, Allen said, “I've never had this many sacks in my career in one game.”
The much-anticipated Brett Favre reunion vs. his former team, the Green Bay Packers, played out in the newly named “Mall of America Field” at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome before a national TV audience on Monday Night Football . This just in: The Vikings are pretty good, and they are getting better.
Favre was fabulous, out-dueling his Green Bay replacement, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, by throwing for 271 yards and three touchdowns. No longer can opponents stack the box against Adrian Peterson, the league's top rusher, and not pay for it.
As Favre proved, the Vikings have the ability now to make you pay. Favre is not only a great game manager, but he has proven that his experience and talent to exploit the seams in the defense are special.
“Pass protection was great,” said Favre. “I thought we had a good mixture of short passes, and just in general, pass protection was awesome. They stopped the running game better than I thought. I thought we'd run the ball better.”
Peterson was held to 55 yards on 25 rushes, but Favre's ability to spread the ball around to his receivers established that these are not the same old Vikings.
“I was about as nervous as I've ever been before a game,” said Favre. “When I got to the hotel yesterday, it kinda dawned on me: Monday Night games. Any game is important. I just knew coming over here all these years what it's like, and I wanted to play well for obvious reasons, to go 4-0 regardless of what people think.”
Obviously, the Vikings defensively got after Rodgers, forcing two turnovers and recording a safety. Rodgers still threw for 384 yards and two touchdowns. However, on this night ball security was a premium, and the Vikings did a much better job protecting Favre than the Packers did protecting Rodgers.
Twins catch Tigers
The Twins have done it again, playing their final season in the Dome where they captured two World Series Championships in 1987 and '91. For the second straight year they will have a one-game playoff after 162 games to determined the American League Central Champion.
Last year, the Twins lost the game at Chicago; this time they will play at home Tuesday against Detroit. The winner gets the New York Yankees, the American League East Champion, in a best-of-five Divisional series.
The Twins are the first team to trail by three games with four games left and tie for the Division. On September 6, the Twins were seven games back. They then won 16 of their last 21 games.
Tiger Woods makes history
Tiger Woods this year became the first athlete to reach $1 billion (yes, with a “B”) in career earnings, according to Forbes Magazine . Woods, a 14-time Major Championship winner, earned $10.5 million on the PGA Tour in 2009.
He won six tournaments in 2009 and also became the first golfer ever to capture the Fed-Ex Cup twice. By winning his second Fed-Ex Cup, he received $10 million in bonus winnings for finishing number one in the PGA Playoffs.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:20 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday & Saturday mornings at 7:50 am and Fridays at 3:50 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-recorder.com , or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com .
