NFL Playoffs: Minnesota Vikings were Overmatched against Green Bay Packers

It was a game that wasn’t even really close. The Minnesota Vikings were handled Saturday night by the rival Green Bay Packers in a loss that ended their season.

It was the first game all season that Christian Ponder wasn’t behind center, as a triceps injury forced him to miss his first playoff game. The unexpected situation did open the door for the very mobile Joe Webb, but after the game it was clear why Webb is indeed the backup.

The story of this game is not really about Ponder’s absence though. I think it’s really just about the fact the Packers have a more talented team than the Vikings. They are just flat-out better. Sure they had some things going in their favor with home-field advantage and an opposing quarterback who hasn’t really played this season, but this was a game the Packers should have won regardless.

The Vikings won the battle on the ground, gaining 167 yards with Adrian Peterson and Webb, but for the first time this season the Packers limited Peterson. It certainly says something about how dominate a guy has been when 99 yards is a bad night, but that was the case on Saturday.

Overall the Packers just had more guys that could make plays than the Vikings did, including 10 different players with a reception. How Minnesota even got into the postseason without their best wide receiver, and without any real threats in the receiving game, really speaks volumes about how good the defense and Peterson have been as of late.

When it’s playoff time though, teams can no longer hide their deficiencies. The Vikings were up against more talented team, and without their starting quarterback and another monstrous game from Peterson, it just wasn’t meant to be in 2012.

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