Sid Hartman: Game rests on arms of Favre, Rodgers

Neither Vikings quarterback Brett Favre nor his counterpart on the Packers, Aaron Rodgers, is having the year he enjoyed in 2009.

Favre had a 107.2 quarterback rating a year ago to rank second in the league compared to 72.2 -- or 31st in the league -- this year.

Rodgers was at 103.2 last year for a fourth-place rating in the league compared to 90.6 -- or 15th in the league -- now.

But look for the two quarterbacks to decide the result of Sunday's game.

Despite his ranking, Rodgers has had big days against the Vikings as he has rolled out to complete pass after pass against a Vikings secondary that has had a very ordinary season.

The Packers, with their 6-3 record, wouldn't qualify for a playoff spot if they started today. So that shows why the Vikings will have to win the division to make the playoffs, because their chances of their qualifying for a wild card look to be almost impossible.

However, the only way the Vikings are going to win seven in a row is to perform like they did in the final four minutes and the overtime of their victory over Arizona a couple of weeks ago.

Maybe the return to the lineup of receiver Sidney Rice, who missed the first nine games this year after hip surgery, will spark Favre to find his favorite receiver of last year, and the Vikings can find a way to win.

I believe that the Vikings are ready to play their best game of the season today and then have a chance to go on a roll, with the advantage starting today of having four of the next five games at home.

Opportunity is there Steve Hutchinson, a real leader on the team, said the opportunity to go 10-6 and win the division is there. It's just a matter of eliminating the mistakes and figuring out how to get on track.

Hutchinson said "sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, but you can't really include luck in your game plan, so we just have to continue to work hard."

The veteran guard doesn't have an answer to why the team is 3-6 now compared to 7-2 a year ago.

"Every game is huge -- this one is the biggest one because it's the next one. As far as we're concerned, it's a one-game season very week for the next seven weeks."

Well, there have been more distractions this year than last season, especially like the rumors of coach Brad Childress being on the verge of getting fired.

Heath Farwell, the captain of the special teams added: "Childress is a great coach, and it's a shame that he's taking a fall for the losses, because it's all of us players not making plays. As far as I'm concerned, guys are on board and we're about winning -- that's all that matters.

Yes, like Farwell said: Childress is the same coach he was last year, when the Vikings went 12-4 and were one play from going to the Super Bowl. But believe me, Childress and his staff are doing just as good a job as they did last year. But one thing they can't do is execute for the players who have beat themselves this year, something they rarely did a year ago.

Big Gophers victory Maybe a lot of Gophers fans were surprised to see the team beat No. 8-ranked North Carolina 72-67 on Friday, but I'm sure coach Tubby Smith wasn't.

And after the Gophers' victory, North Carolina coach Roy Williams talked about Mbakwe and what a difference he made in the game.

"Mbakwe really gives them a physical presence inside," said Williams after the game. "One time he went up and shot the ball, and John [Henson, Carolina forward] was in great position and with his strength he knocked John down, got back up and got the rebound."

Yes, nobody is mentioning this Gophers team as a contender. But once they get suspended Devoe Joseph back on the team, I believe they will be able to play with most teams in the Big Ten.

Jottings Packers coach Mike McCarthy talked about how different it is playing the Vikings in the Dome. "The noise is different, so the offense, we have to make sure that we have a lot of extra work noise. They play a lot differently when they come at you in the Dome."

Incidentally, McCarthy has a 9-3 record in domes since he took over as coach in 2006. He won his first six dome games before losing 28-27 to the Vikings in 2008.

Ex-Viking Randy Moss had a pass thrown to him only four times in his initial game with the Titans and caught one for 26 yards. As usual, he took two questions from the media. He talked about how his debut "was actually a bad game for me," and that his being a decoy helped the team win.

Eric Musselman, son of former Gophers and Timberwolves coach Bill Musselman, is coaching the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League. They opened the season on Saturday night. ... Cory Joseph, brother of Devoe Joseph, whom the Gophers recruited heavily, is averaging 6.3 points and four rebounds.

Former Gopher Lawrence Westbrook is playing for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League and scored 13 points in 14 minutes coming off the bench in the season opener on Friday. ... Westbrook's teammate from last year, Damian Johnson, is playing in Japan for the Oita Heat Devils and averaging 15.2 points and 8.1 rebounds.

John Biezuns, in his first year as head football coach of Minneapolis Southwest, was named Minneapolis City Conference Coach of the Year. The Lakers, rebounding from a losing season in 2009, won a share of the conference championship for the first time since 1974 finishing 6-3. Southwest quarterback/free safety Ayrton Scott, the most valuable player in the City Conference, is one of the 10 finalists for Mr. Football in Minnesota.