The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Green Bay Packers this week on Monday Night Football in what might be the greatest rivalry in the NFL, if not sports altogether. The all-time series is tilted in Green Bay's favor at 52-48-1, but Adrian Peterson and the rest of Minnesota will be looking to gain some momentum -- or create a lack thereof for Green Bay -- as they search for an upset.
If the upset doesn't happen, Adrian Peterson is also searching for a Vikings record. Peterson is just 239 yards away from becoming the Vikings all-time leading rusher, a mark current held by Robert Smith with 6,818 yards.
The Packers are certainly the favorites considering they are still undefeated on the season, but this rivalry has shown a few times in the past that the underdog isn't exactly doomed for failure. Considering this will be head coach Leslie Frazier and rookie quarterback Christian Ponder's first visit to the stadium, this game could be interesting ... but should also give them a chance to get comfortable with the win-loss record not exactly important at this point.
Thanks to this week's Vikings game notes, there are a couple of interesting numbers to pass on regarding the Monday night meeting:
- DE Jared Allen has 12 career sacks against the Packers, the most against any opponent in the NFL. Allen recorded a career-high 4.5 sacks against the Packers on 10/5/09, the 2nd most sacks in a game in team history and a Vikings single-game record versus the Packers.
- Rookie QB Christian Ponder can tie a team record for wins by a rookie QB, with a win this weekend against the Packers (Fran Tarkenton holds the record at 2).
- CB Antoine Winfield will be starting his 100th career game as a member of the Vikings.
Either way, it's a big week for the Vikings.