When ranking teams according to their all-time winning percentages, the Minnesota Vikings are fourth overall in the NFL and have the highest within the NFC north.  They also appeared in one-third of the first twelve Super Bowls.  So what’s stopping the Minnesota Vikings from being considered one of the NFL’s most prestigious franchises?

They are 0 and 4 in their four Super Bowl appearances — their last one being Super Bowl XII in 1977 — and are ranked 25th out of 32 teams in postseason winning percentage. Maybe they wouldn’t choke so much if they chewed their breakfasts more prior to their postseason games.

The odds-makers are singing a different tune this year (these are the people who make a living off of wagering large, difficult bets backed by their large crystal cajones). The Vikings are currently tied for second with the New Orleans Saints (+400) to win Super Bowl XLIV, only trailing Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (+300).

"So You're Saying There's a Chance...."

With the NFC North Division practically already won — sorry Packers fans, there is always next season — many are already trying to put together the postseason puzzle.

Although upsets are always possible, some people are already drooling over a Vikings/Saints NFC Championship Game with the winner playing the favored Colts out of the AFC for the Super Bowl XLIV title.

Ruling out Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, and the rest of the present-day Purple People Eaters from a potential Super Bowl XLIV Title would be foolish. Every passing week brings that closer to reality.

1)  The unstoppable force against the immovable object.
The 49ers bring Frank Gore, who is rushing for 5.2 yards per carry, to Lambeau against a stubborn Packers rush defense that ranks 4^th in the NFL.

To date the Packers have shown impressive performances against the likes of Adrian Peterson (3.0 yards per rush in the two games against the ViQueens), the Cowboys running back trio (61 yards), as well as stout efforts against the Bears, Lions, Bucs and Browns.

If the Packers are able to take away the 49ers run game, it will force one of the worst quarterbacks in the league, Alex Smith, to throw the ball more.

2) Will lightning strike twice for San Francisco?
Last week against the Bears, the 49ers forced Jay Cutler to throw 5 INTs. They did this by taking away the run and forcing the Bears to become one-dimensional as Cutler threw the ball 52 times.

In one of the ugliest games of this year’s NFL season, the 49ers won 10-6 solely because of all the turnovers. Even though A-Rodge doesn’t throw picks like Cutler, if the 49ers force the Pack to stop running the ball, Rodgers will be taking hits all day, resulting in another ugly game.

If Green Bay is able to keep some balance however, it will be a long day for the 49ers’ secondary, who will be missing its best player, Nate Clemens.

3) Bringing the heat on D.
Against Dallas last week, the Pack forced Tony Romo to run for his life. After a terrible performance against Tampa Bay the previous week, the defense rebounded by recording a season-high 5 sacks and countless pressures on the Burlington, WI native.

The 3-4 defense looked like the defense that we thought we would eventually see. The question is: Was that just a one-week aberration, or has Dom Capers realized that blitzing is essential to the Pack’s success?

Also, will having Aaron Kampman back in the lineup help or hurt? His replacement, Brad Jones, did a great job of pressuring the QB and covering the flat last week. We’ll find out Sunday how the D responds.

4) Me, because I’ll be at the game!

Go Pack!