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History says Vikings in for long day vs. Rodgers
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — In 13 regular-season games and one playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has thrown 31 touchdown passes and just four interceptions in 438 attempts.
That’s quite a difference from the days when Brett Favre would at least have the courtesy to throw a few balls to the Vikings while he was beating them.
So why does Rodgers have such a low interception percentage?
“Well, he’s got such a strong arm that (the ball) gets there fast, even when you’ve got guys covered,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “I think they all have a great command and rapport with each other as far as the offense and where they are supposed to be. He gets the ball out so fast but the receivers know exactly where they are supposed to be.
“And even when things break down he does a great job of moving in the pocket or moving out of the pocket and finding receivers. And then a lot of bad things happen, too.”
MEDICAL WATCH
–RB Matt Asiata (concussion) didn’t practice Wednesday and will have to pass the league’s concussion protocol before being allowed back onto the field. He ranks 15th in the league in scoring with 44 points on seven touchdowns.
–RB Jerick McKinnon (low back) didn’t practice Wednesday. He is averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He played through the injury last week and averaged 4.8 yards, but had only eight carries.
–WR Jarius Wright (hamstring) didn’t practice Wednesday and didn’t look good at all trying to run on the sideline during the early portion of practice. Wright is third on the team with 26 catches.
–WR Greg Jennings (rib) didn’t practice on Wednesday. Jennings was virtually invisible at Chicago on Sunday with only one catch for four yards before being hurt.
–LB Anthony Barr (knee) was limited in practice on Wednesday. He has had a stellar rookie season but is coming off a game in which he missed five tackles.
–DT Sharrif Floyd (knee) was limited in practice on Wednesday. Floyd has a career-high 3.5 sacks despite battling multiple nagging injuries this season.
–CB Xavier Rhodes (ankle) was limited in practice on Wednesday. Rhodes came into the season with a label of being injured too often. He has held up well though and recorded the first pick of his career in Chicago on Sunday.
–DE Everson Griffen (neck) was limited in practice on Wednesday. Griffen, who has a career-high 9.0 sacks, had a quiet game at Chicago in part because the Bears moved quarterback Jay Cutler away from that side of the line or had extra protection to that side.
GAME PLAN: Stop the run and don’t turn the ball over. If the Vikings do that, they’ll at least have a chance of beating Aaron Rodgers at home, where the team’s strong pass rush will be better with a favorable score and down-and-distance situations.
Back on Oct. 2, the Vikings couldn’t stop the run early and then threw two second-quarter interceptions that led to 14 points and a 28-0 halftime deficit.
It helps that No. 3 quarterback Christian Ponder won’t be forced to start, as he was on that Thursday night. Rookie Teddy Bridgewater gives the team a better chance to win because he’s more careful with the ball, even though he has thrown six interceptions and just four touchdown passes in seven starts.
Rodgers torched the defense in the last game, as usual, but it was running back Eddie Lacy who set that up by gashing the Vikings during a touchdown drive on Green Bay’s second possession. Lacy then took over the game once the Packers led by four touchdowns.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Packers RB Eddie Lacy, who had 105 yards on just 13 carries in the last meeting, vs. Vikings OLB Anthony Barr, who has been outstanding for the most part but is coming off a Bears game in which he missed a team-high five tackles. In order to stop Rodgers, the Vikings first must stop Lacy, who can run like a bull if he gets going. Barr makes plays from sideline to sideline, but also has missed 19 tackles in 10 games.
–Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who has thrown just three interceptions in 277 attempts, vs. Vikings FS Harrison Smith, who is tied for third in the league in interceptions with four. Rodgers rarely throws interceptions against the Vikings. In 13 regular-season meetings and one playoff game, he has thrown 31 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. Smith is the rare Viking who has a nose for the ball. No Viking has had more than four picks in a season since Darren Sharper had nine in 2005.
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