Football
19y

Minnesota (8-8) at Green Bay (10-6)

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Brett Favre and the Green Bay
Packers seek the hat trick Sunday when they host the Minnesota
Vikings in an NFC wild card game featuring division rivals.

Perhaps Ryan Longwell will get a chance to finish it off again.
Green Bay won both regular season meetings by identical 34-31
scores. Both ended with game-winning field goals by Longwell.

On Christmas Eve, the teams played for the NFC North title at
the Metrodome and Longwell settled it with a 29-yard field goal
as time expired.

Favre and Daunte Culpepper of the Vikings engaged in a classic
quarterback duel and, once again, Favre emerged as the winner.

It did not appear that would be the case when Favre threw a pass
that was intercepted by linebacker Chris Claiborne and returned
15 yards for a touchdown, giving the Vikings a 31-24 lead with
8:18 left in the fourth quarter.

However, the three-time Most Valuable Player bounced back from
that turnover by leading the Packers to the game-tying and
game-winning drive.

The game-tying drive went 80 yards and Favre capped it with a
three-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver on a 4th-and-goal
play with 3:34 remaining. Driver finished with 11 catches for a
career-high 162 yards.

The Vikings appeared to be in the driver's seat when Michael
Bennett broke off a 16-yard run to the Green Bay 40 just before
the two-minute warning. However, Pro Bowl center Matt Birk was
flagged for holding, negating the play, and the Vikings
eventually were forced to punt.

The Packers took over at their own 13 with 1:35 left. That was
enough time for Favre to perform some more magic. Running back
Tony Fisher made the first big play, catching a short pass and
turning it into a 21-yard gain to the Green Bay 44.

Favre fired an 18-yard pass to Driver to the Minnesota 38. Then
with the Vikings coming on a blitz, Favre flicked a pass to
Javon Walker, who raced across to the right sideline for a
31-yard gain to the Minnesota 7.

Favre finished 30-of-43 for 365 yards and three touchdowns.
Culpepper, who earned his third Pro Bowl selection this season,
threw for 285 yards and three scores.

The teams combined for 868 yards - 452 for Green Bay and 416 for
the Vikings. In the first meeting here on November 14, the
teams combined for 858 yards and Favre and Culpepper each threw
four touchdowns.

Culpepper rallied the Vikings from a 14-point fourth-quarter
deficit. His 17-yard TD pass to running back Moe Williams tied
the game at 31-31 with 80 seconds left.

But the Packers received a big play and some luck on the ensuing
kickoff when Robert Ferguson broke off a 37-yard return. He
fumbled on the play, but the Packers were able to come out of
the scrum with the ball and took possession at their own 46.

On 2nd-and-10, Favre found Fisher down the right sideline for 29
yards to the Minnesota 29. He followed with a seven-yard
completion to tight end Bubba Franks before Ahman Green rushed
for seven yards to set the stage for a 33-yard field goal by
Longwell.

The Vikings can only hope the third time is the charm. But
Favre has been in this position before, beating the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers three times in 1997, the last one coming in the
divisional playoff here.

And the colder the better for Favre, who is 38-2, including
playoffs, at Lambeau Field when the game-time temperature is 34
or below.

No quarterback, including Peyton Manning, threw for more yards
this season than Culpepper, who passed for 4,717 yards. He has
passed for 21 touchdowns in nine career games vs. Green Bay, but
is just 3-6 against Favre.

The Packers held Vikings superstar receiver Randy Moss to two
catches for 30 yards in the last meeting. In 13 career games
against Green Bay, Moss has 66 catches for 1,243 yards and 12
touchdowns.

Second-year receiver Nate Burleson has created problems for the
Packers, catching 13 passes for 251 yards and two scores.

After a 5-1 start, the Vikings lost seven of their next 10
games, but joined St. Louis as the wild cards. They are the
first 8-8 playoff teams since Dallas and Detroit in 1999.

"I don't care how we got here, now it's all about winning to
advance," Culpepper said. "No one is going to care that we
didn't win the division if we win this game."

If the Vikings win, they will play at Philadelphia in the
divisional playoff on January 16.

The Packers won their third straight NFC North title after a 1-4
start, winning nine of their last 11 games. They will play at
Atlanta on January 15 with a win over Minnesota.

Matchup to watch: Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie lines up
across right end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, who had three sacks in
Green Bay's regular season finale.

Series: Green Bay leads, 44-42-1.

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