Gregg Rosenthal

There will be countless flowery stories written Sunday about Brett Favre’s revenge, Lambeau’s wasted jeers, Aaron Rodgers’ torment, and Packers G.M. Ted Thompson spending Sunday in his own private ninth circle of hell.

This is not one of those stories.

The melodrama at Lambeau Sunday during Minnesota’s 38-26 win is juicy stuff if you love football, but it’s also ripe for over-reaching conclusions. Here’s one that cannot be denied: The Vikings are simply a better team than the Packers.

Minnesota essentially won the NFC North Sunday because of a complete team effort. Minnesota’s special teams — long a punchline — is now a weapon because of Percy Harvin. Its offensive line kept Brett Favre’s jersey clean, while Green Bay’s 3-4 defense sat back and watched Favre pick them apart. Minnesota’s defensive line, led by midseason defensive MVP Jared Allen, terrorized Aaron Rodgers all afternoon. When Rodgers isn’t getting hit quickly, he’s holding on to the ball too long and getting hit late. And we haven’t even mentioned Adrian Peterson’s 141 yards from scrimmage.

Yes, Favre is playing the type of controlled football even his biggest cheerleaders didn’t think possible. His four touchdown passes give him 16 on the year, to only three interceptions. Put another number on the back of Favre’s jersey and folks would toss around the term “game manager.”

Favre has adapted his style because he knows what he has around him. The Vikings aren’t perfect — the team’s pass defense has some holes — but Favre’s statement that this could be the best team he’s played on isn’t crazy. These Vikings are about so much more than Favre, and they are not going away.

There’s going to be many more opportunities to write flowery stories about Favre this year. Just wait until January.

Giant issues derailing Eli & Co.
The New York Giants are wobbling. And the NFC’s contenders are lining up one at a time to knock them out; Philadelphia performed the honors Sunday with a 40-17 victory.

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It’s not just the three straight losses; it’s how the Giants have lost. The Eagles’ receivers got free way too easily in New York’s secondary — just like the Saints and Cardinals did. The Giants’ depleted defensive backfield can’t cover, especially at safety.

The Giants’ run defense also gave up 40-yard gains to LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver. Put in the unusual position of playing from behind, Eli Manning forced throws instead of taking easier completions. He’s thrown five interceptions the last two weeks. The Giants aren’t built to be a go-go offense team.

The Giants’ extended run of dominance started in the 2007 playoffs because of their defense. But in three successive weeks, the creative pressure units on the Saints, Cardinals, and Eagles have been superior. New York’s famed front four has played on its heels, and suddenly New York could be in trouble in a crowded NFC playoff picture.

The Giants got fat on cupcakes early in the year, but their schedule does them no favors moving forward. They don’t face a losing team until four days before Christmas. They must figure out how to slow down quality offenses well before then.

Eagles starting to solve defensive issues
Philadelphia’s win sets up a home game with the Cowboys next Sunday night for early control in the NFC East. Philadelphia faces the Giants and Eagles on the road late in the season, so they could use a cushion.

The Eagles are solving their offensive line woes and put together their most complete game of the season. The pickup of middle linebacker Will Witherspoon could prove to be a masterstroke for a defense that desperately needed help in the middle. The Eagles are much better team playing with the lead because they can play more aggressively on defense.

Return of the Ravens

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The most impressive win of the day was Baltimore’s 30-7 manhandling of previously unbeaten Denver. This was an example of good players defeating good coaching. The Broncos had Joe Flacco sacked time after time and he shook off tacklers (think Ben Roethlisberger) to make key third down conversions. Flacco may have the league's best arm and has quickly become a top-10 quarterback in his second year. Ray Rice was also bottled up a number of times, but broke free for key first downs.

The best sign for Baltimore is that their beleaguered secondary prevented any big plays from the Broncos. Baltimore has three losses, but they all came in the final seconds. This remains a team good enough to make a long playoff run, but the secondary will continue to be tested with the Bengals, Colts, Packers, and the Steelers (twice) coming up. The AFC North will be a bloodbath.

Defense does it for Indy?
It’s uncanny how the Colts’ defense makes huge plays when they absolutely need it.

It’s the fourth quarter and the Colts just took their first lead of the game, 18-14. The 49ers drive the ball back into field-goal range, but Robert Mathis pulls off a spin move of beauty to sack Alex Smith on third-and-12 to force a punt.

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Next 49ers possession, Dwight Freeney does the honors with a sack on third-and-10 to force another punt. San Francisco didn’t get the ball back again. Fourth-quarter backbreaking sacks should be a new statistical category (FQBS?). Freeney and Mathis would vie for the league lead.

Another Colts weapon
Joseph Addai had one more passing touchdown than Peyton Manning. And he threw it left-handed, while on the run, 22 yards to Reggie Wayne. Who knew? San Francisco’s defense gave the Colts fits and Addai is still running tentatively, but it’s a good sign for Indianapolis they can win these types of games.

The Colts had a five minute, 45 second drive to end the contest. That’s better than any touchdown. With Denver’s loss, the Colts are another step closer to the playoff bye they seem destined for. But they are unlikely to survive an upcoming four-game stretch against Houston, New England, Baltimore, and Houston again with an unbeaten record intact.

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