For decades the Packers have been defined by long-lasting Hall of Fame quarterbacks who produced four Super Bowl victories, and the Vikings for fearsome defensive linemen and talented receivers who have not been able to elevate their teams in the biggest games.
Sunday, when the best rivalry in Minnesota plays for the first time at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings will find themselves in a predicament that once would have been unthinkable but now is the norm. They keep striking out on receivers, meaning the franchise of Ahmad Rashad, Anthony Carter, Jake Reed, Cris Carter and Randy Moss is remarkably dependent on a fifth-round draft pick in his second season who spent his first three NFL games on the inactive list.
Stefon Diggs quickly became the Vikings' go-to receiver last season and was clearly their top receiver in their opening victory at Tennessee, which is strange, given the resources the team has spent trying to land someone with a more impressive pedigree.
In the past five years, the Vikings have:
• Signed Greg Jennings away from the Packers to give Christian Ponder a quality receiver. That didn't work out well for Jennings, Ponder or the Vikings, while the Packers easily replaced Jennings.
• Traded for Miami's Mike Wallace to give Teddy Bridgewater a deep threat. The threat remained idle as Wallace and Bridgewater missed connections on a dozen deep passes in 2015.
• Traded into the first round to draft raw Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who has caught three passes in his past 17 games.
• Signed former fourth-round pick Jarius Wright to a four-year, $14.8 million contract extension, believing they had found their slot receiver. Wright was a healthy scratch Sunday as undrafted free agent Adam Thielen turned into the Vikings' second-most effective receiver.
