FanHouse Preview: Packers at Vikings

We have to talk about Brett Favre -- I'm sorry, that's just the way it's got to be. To ignore Favre's involvement in the season's first Green Bay-Minnesota clash would be like discussing the Cold War and leaving out Gorbachev.

Monday's key NFC North matchup will mark the first time Favre has played against the Packers, with whom he starred for 16 seasons, and he'll do so while wearing the jersey of one of Green Bay's most hated rivals. It probably doesn't help Packers fans' waning allegiances to Favre that Minnesota's off to a 3-0 start and sits in first in the division. Green Bay, on the other hand, is just two weeks removed from a stunning home loss to Cincinnati and trying to keep pace.

All Favre aside, there's a lot on the line in the Metrodome Monday, and who comes away with a victory will depend on a lot more than just Minnesota's new quarterback.

Three Key Questions:

1. Can Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers rise to the challenge and keep pace with his quarterback counterpart?

2. How well will the Packers be able to contain Adrian Peterson?

3. Will the television broadcast actually show the game, or just keep every camera on Favre all night?

Player in the Spotlight: Rodgers. Favre's too easy of an answer here -- obviously, everyone wants to see what the frequently retired signal-caller does against his old club. But Rodgers' performance will likely have more of an impact on Monday's result. If Favre falters, Minnesota can turn to Peterson and its defense to hang around. Rodgers doesn't really have that luxury -- Green Bay's in the middle of the pack (No. 16) in rushing yards per game and the defense has been pushed around by Cincinnati and St. Louis in the past two weeks. Rodgers has to play well and test the Vikings defense often to try and free running back Ryan Grant. Green Bay needs to keep its defense on the sidelines as much as possible, but the Packers' offense can only be as effective as Rodgers allows.

Green Bay's Path to Victory: This can go one of two ways -- either the Pack can decide to try and grind it out, keep Favre and Peterson off the field, and try to win with ball control; or Green Bay can throw caution to the wind and simply attempt to outgun the Vikings. The Packers have the weapons to pull off option two, but the first scenario is more conducive to this rivalry. It also makes more sense on the road. No one knows what Favre is capable of better than Green Bay, which is both good and bad. The Packers have seen Favre's heroics plenty of times -- but they're also aware that he can make mistakes when under pressure. Cleveland, Detroit and San Francisco all went toe-to-toe with the Vikings and hung around for the majority of the game. Green Bay's better than all three of those teams.

Minnesota's Path to Victory: Just stick to the script. The Vikings have been a little slow starting out games -- especially on the ground, as they've tried to lean on Peterson early and keep Favre from having to do too much. They've been able to crank it up in the second half, though, and figure to finish strong again, given the ravenous home crowd that will be present Monday night. Cincinnati won in Lambeau by controlling the game at the line of scrimmage and relentlessly attacking Rodgers. Minnesota's defensive line is stout, both against the run and the pass, so the goal will be to make Rodgers' life as miserable as possible. If the Vikings can get on top early, they'll be able to ride Peterson late -- and limit the number of opportunites for Favre to make a mistake.

Prediction: A lot of people are anticipating a bit of a shootout in this one, with both offenses finding plenty of room. That may be the case, but there's just as good a chance that this winds up being a game won methodically in the trenches. Should that occur, it'd be hard to pick against Minnesota. Either way, this should be a fun one -- unless you're a Packers fan, in which case, it might be your worst nightmare. Minnesota 24, Green Bay 21