The Unfamily Feud.

[Packerlifer]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packers–Vikings_rivalry

The Packers and Vikings have been playing each other twice a season for over half a century. And Sunday's game with control of the division at stake is nothing new in that rivalry. These two clubs have been jousting with one another off and on for division titles, playoff berths and playoff positioning going back to 1968 and as recently as 2012.

When Vince Lombardi stepped down as Packers' coach in 1968 the Vikings under Bud Grant were ready to step into their place in the Central Division. The Vikings, in fact, were the first team in the second game of the season to expose the Packers' dynasty decline. http://www.packershistory.net/1968PACKERS/GAME2.html

When they completed their first season sweep and won their first game in Minnesota against Green Bay weeks later it signaled the changing of the guard in the division. http://www.packershistory.net/1968PACKERS/GAME9.html.

Four years later the Pack was back - for at least one year. They split their season with Minnesota, interrupting the Vikings Central Division dynasty. Losing at midseason at Lambeau 27-13 the Packers clinched the division title with a win in old Metropolitan Stadium in the next to last game of the 1972 season:http://www.packershistory.net/1972PACKERS/GAME7.html
http://www.packershistory.net/1972PACKERS/GAME13.html.



The Vikings would reclaim the division in 1973 http://www.packershistory.net/1973PACKERS/GAME3.html and hold it for the next 6 years, making 3 losing trips to the Super Bowl during that time. While the Packers fell back into mediocrity or worse. But in 1978 a young Packers team coached by former championship quarterback Bart Starr was ready to take a run at the veteran Vikings.

Green Bay won 6 of its first 7 games in the '78 season and held a commanding lead on Minnesota in the standings at the halfway point. The Vikings slowed the streaking Pack in a midseason game in Minnesota http://www.packershistory.net/1978PACKERS/GAME8.html.

They were tied 6 weeks later when they met in Green Bay and stayed that way after the game for first place. But the tie benefitted Minnesota more and they would win the title on the tiebreaker at the end of the season http://www.packershistory.net/1978PACKERS./GAME13.html

They wouldn't be contenders at the same time again until 1989. By then the Vikings were a legit Super Bowl contender, who regularly loaded the Pro Bowl with players. They had come within a play of the NFC Championship against Washington in 1987 and were in the playoffs again in 1988.

The Packers jumped up with their "Cardiac Pack" team in '89, featuring qb Don "Majik Man" Majkowski, and won ten games and tied Minnesota for first place. They split their games, each winning at home, but the Vikings got the division title and the Packers missed the playoffs again on the tiebreaker. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198910150min.htm.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198911260gnb.htm

The 1990's saw the Packer-Viking rivalry reach new heights of intensity as both became regular playoff contestants and Super Bowl contenders. The Packers would make the playoffs 6 straight seasons under coach Mike Holmgren. They would win the NFC Central 3 straight seasons in '95-97 and get 3 more Wild Card berths.

The Vikings during the same stretch would take the division 4 times between 1992-2000 and add 4 Wild Card seasons as well. Games between the Pack and Vikes every year from '92-98 carried the weightiest of implications.

It was during this period that "home field" or more specifically "home dome" advantage became a particular issue between the clubs. Until 1992 the Metrodome had not been an especially difficult place for the Packers to visit.They had won 6 of 9 games in Minnesota between '83-'91. But in the '90's it became Green Bay's "house of horrors," not only because of losing 7 of 8 there but how they lost some of those games.

For good measure the Vikes threw in some wins in Green Bay and Milwaukee (3) during the decade; most famously ending the Packers' 29 game home winning streak on Monday night football in 1998.

The Packers have pulled ahead by 9 games in the all-time rivalry by going 9-1-1 against the Purple since 2010 and 21-10-1 since 200o. They have swept the season on the Vikes 8 times during this period and finished ahead of them in the standings 10 times.

The Packers ran down and beat out the Vikings for NFC North titles in 2003 and '04 after Minnesota had built seemingly safe large leads in the division. But the Vikes would spoil the Packers' celebration of the Lambeau Field renovations in the opener of the 2003 season opener and embarrass the Packers with a Wild Card playoff win in Lambeau after the Packers had swept them in the 2004 regular season.

In 2009, with Brett Favre doublecrossing on his announced retirement and coming out to "stick it" to the Packers, the Vikings beat out Green Bay for the division with a season sweep; though the Packers made the playoffs as a Wild Card.

One notable feature about the Green Bay-Minnesota rivalry in recent history has been the Vikings' periodic rise in a coach's second or third season in the job only to see it fall short of a championship and begin to slide backward after a year or two. It's happened with Mike Tice, Brad Childress and Leslie Frazier and is following a similar curve with Mike Zimmer.

But these are the Vikings, after all.

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[El Guapo]

Except for the 2010 season, the Vikings have been the main divisional rival for the Packers since the mid-1990s.

 

[Poppa San]

Except for the 2010 season, the Vikings have been the main divisional rival for the Packers since the mid-1990s.

Really picked up on the GB side with Sharper and was crazy after Favre jumped sides. My uncle lives in Mn and says the Packers always were the Vikings fans "enemies" but it wasn't the other way until then.

 

[PackerDNA]

I remember a few years back when asked what he'd consider a successful season, a Vikings player said " I'd consider 2-14 a success as long as the 2 wins were against the Packers".
It's always been a big rivalry to them.

 

[Sky King]

I'm an old school guy. The Bears is THE rivalry. Then come the Vikings and Lions, in that order. Thanks to my aunt's season tickets and her brief illness, my first home game in-person featured Lombardi and Halas as the HCs. It occurred early during the Glory Years. It was at County Stadium in Milwaukee where both teams shared the same sideline. There may have been more future HOFers on that sideline at one time than at any other game in NFL history. Plus, it's David vs. Goliath -- second biggest city vs. the league's tiniest berg. Chicago will always be #2 to me.

The Vikes fans behavior resembles that of mixed-up little brats who use obnoxiousness as a means of getting attention. They'll do whatever it takes to upstage their rivalry rivals. They are the lesser of the two evils.

 

[Half Empty]

I remember a few years back when asked what he'd consider a successful season, a Vikings player said " I'd consider 2-14 a success as long as the 2 wins were against the Packers".
It's always been a big rivalry to them.

Remember what Lovie Smith said when he was hired.

 

[Croak]

The younger generation see the Vikings as the main rivals. But we 50 plus folks will say the Bears without a doubt.

 

[El Guapo]

It depends on the time period. I can't think of many people that would say the Bears have been our main rivals over the past decade or so. They've been pitiful. Overall of course, most would agree that it's Bears and Packers because of the longevity.