Don’t count the Vikings out just yet of the NCF North title just yet. It is early in the season, but Minnesota looked like contenders in what was called “a supposed to be a win game” for the for division rivals, and favorites to win the division, Green Bay Packers.

Anything can happen in sports. Any team can win or lose on any given day. That is why you go out and play the game until the final whistle. Even without Teddy Birdgewater, and possibly Adrian Peterson, the Vikings still look prime for a playoff push.

Sam Bradford! Yes, Sam Bradford. The one that a fair number of Vikings fans where not happy about when he was traded. Yes, with his history and career stats, one could be worried about how he will perform. Well the 2008 Heisman and number one overall pick of the 2010 draft performed very well.

Bradford was 22 of 31 with 286 yards and two touchdowns. Maybe this is a new beginning for Bradford. With Norv Turner’s offense, an improved offensive line and talented receivers, Bradford can excel here and give the team the confidence it needs moving forward this season.

Stefon Diggs, the second year wide receiver out of Maryland, had a huge game. Hauling in nine catches for 182 yards and a touchdown. This gives Diggs 285 yards on 16 catches this season. It is fair to say that Diggs is the main target the Vikings would like to build and help the team grow.

It is time to move to a new weapon with Adrian Peterson slowly going downhill. With only 19 yards on 12 carries and two receptions out of the backfield for seven yards before he went out with a knee injury, which turned out to be a torn meniscus and unsure for a return. Peterson on the year has 50 yards on 31 carries, which gives him 1.6 yards per carry average. If Peterson doesn’t return for any amount of time look for Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata to split the carries.

Now, we can’t talk about a Vikings and a Packers game without talking about Aaron “Discount Double Check” Rogers. Rogers completed 20 of 36 passes for 216 yards and a score with three rushes and 29 yards with a score on the ground as well. He found returning receiver and favorite target Jordy Nelson, who was sideline all last year with a torn ACL, for the second straight week for a touchdown. Rogers did lose one fumble and threw an interception in the closing minutes. The Pack will be hard to shake off, and there will be another fight for the NFC North.

With 1:50 left to go in the fourth quarter, it was 3 and 14, the Packers looked to make a big play to keep the drive alive. This is where Rogers threw his pick however. Trae Waynes, who is starting in place of the injured Xavier Rhodes, made the game winning interception. Waynes, only starting in his third game, played very minimum last year in his rookie season. But with two big penalties in one drive and a 39-yard pass over his head to Nelson, Sunday night was a night to forget for the second year cornerback. Even with the big clutch time interception, there is room for improvement as the season goes on, not only for Waynes but both teams as well.

But at the end of the day, the Vikings looked pretty good. It has been too long since the Vikings looked this good this early. This is a team with a belief that they can win now. Come the end of the season, all gloves will be off to see who steals the NFC North this year.