THE BEARS VISITED MALL OF AMERICA FIELD
AND IT LOOKED LIKE THEY'D COME FOR THE SHOPPING
BECAUSE THEIR OFFENSE NEVER GOT ON TRACK
AND THEIR DEFENSE SURE DIDNT DO ANY STOPPING

THE VIKES PUT ON QUITE A PASSING CLINIC
AS BRETT AND THE BOYS TURNED THE BEARS INSIDE OUT
AND THOSE FEW TIMES THE BEARS WERE ON OFFENSE
THE VIKINGS "D CHANGED A CLOSE GAME TO A ROUT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THIS WEEK MINNESOTA HEADS OFF TO THE DESERT
ALTHOUGH NOT FOR A MIDWINTER VACATION
BUT TO FACE A TEAM THAT WAS IN THE LAST SUPER BOWL
EVEN IF THIS YEARS RECORD IS ONE OF FRUSTRATION

ARIZONA'S TEAM WON'T COME OUT A WINNER THIS WEEK
UNLESS THEY COME UP WITH SOME NEW "CARDS TRICKS"
OR THOUGH SOME STRANGE TWIST OF KARMA
FAVRE STARTS THROWING HIS USUAL NUMBER OF PICKS

SOMETIMES WHEN A TEAM GETS ONTO A ROLL
IT DOESNT SEEM THINGS COULD WORK OUT MUCH NEATER
FOR EXAMPLE WITH ARIZONAS FIRST-STRING QB DAMAGED
THE VIKINGS' SETUP COULDN'T BE TOO MUCH SWEETER

LIKE IT NOT THESE VIKINGS ARE ROLLING
HEADING FULL-STRIDE INTO THE POSTSEASON
GIVEN THAT EVERYTHING ELSE IS ALMOST THE SAME
AND OBVIOUSLY BRETT FAVRE IS THE REASON
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THANKSGIVING HAS BECOME THE TRADITIONAL DAY
FOR TURKEYS-AND THE LIONS- TO BE DISPATCHED
AND ONCE AGAIN LAST THURSDAY IN DETROIT
THE LIONS PLAN FOR A VICTORY PARTY WERE SCRATCHED

IT REALLY WASN'T DETROIT'S FAULT THEY LOST
AS THEY GAVE ALL THE EFFORT THAT THEY COULD
BUT WHEN THE FINAL TALLY WAS DONE
IT TURNED OUT THEYRE JUST NOT VERY GOOD

THE PACKERS WOUND UP WITH A LONG WEEKEND
GIVING THEM TIME TO GET READY FOR MONDAY NIGHT
AS THEY TAKE ON A TOUGH BALTIMORE RAVENS TEAM
THAT BEAT THE STEELERS IN A GAME THAT WAS TIGHT

THIS GAME WILL CHALLENGE THE PACKERS DEFENSE
AS THE RAVENS HAVE THREE OUTSTANDING BACKS
THE ROTATION OF RAY RICE AND HIS PARTNERS
WILL KEEP GREEN BAY'S DEFENDERS UNDER ATTACK

BUT BALTIMORE'S PASSING GAME IS SUPSPECT AT BEST
AND IS THE WEAKEST SPOT ON THIS FOOTBALL TEAM
WHILE JOE FLACCO IS GOOD YOUNG QUARTERBACK
HIS RECEIVERS MUST MAKE HIM WANT TO SCREAM

THE PACKERS LOOK LIKE THEY'VE FOUND THEMSELVES
AND ARE PLAYING MORE LIKE WE ALL EXPECTED
PUTTING A 'W' IN THE WIN COLUMN THIS WEEK
WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS GETTING THEM RESPECTED

THERE ISN'T A LOT THAT CAN WORRY THIS VIKINGS TEAM
AS THEIR OPPONENTS THEY CONTINUE TO SUBDUE
WHILE THE PACKERS NEED TO KEEP THE RAVENS GROUNDED
AS ITS A WILDCARD SPOT THAT THIS TEAM PURSUES

               Carl "Gator" Nelson
Packers 'verses' Vikings: A Poetic Perspective
       www.PackersversesVikings.com