eed to remain unbeaten to have a shot. One of them could also get an automatic bid if it finishes in the final | Forum

MINNEAPOLIS -- Aaron Rodgers has the Green Bay Packers rolling, even without three of his best receivers. Custom Anaheim Ducks Jersey . Theres a powerful running game on his side now, as if Rodgers needed any more help. Ignoring the injuries around him, Rodgers picked apart whats left of Minnesotas depleted defence by throwing two first-half touchdown passes to Jordy Nelson and guiding the Packers to a 44-31 victory Sunday night. "I think this is really shaping up to be one of Aarons best years," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Aarons had a lot of challenges Monday through Saturday that dont show up on the stat sheet, just trying to get on the same page with younger players and trusting the game plan." Missing Randall Cobb, James Jones and Jermichael Finley, Rodgers finished 24 for 29 for 285 yards to help the Packers (5-2) stay in first place in the NFC North. "We expect greatness out of our guys," Rodgers said. Christian Ponders encore went poorly for the Vikings (1-6), who sent out a different starting quarterback for the third straight week. Adrian Peterson gained a quiet 60 yards on 13 carries, Greg Jennings had just one catch against his old team and the Vikings offence counted only three plays in the third quarter as the Packers pulled away in their final game at the Metrodome, now known as Mall of America Field. Ponder didnt turn the ball over, but he was again out of sorts under pressure in the pocket all night. He finished 14 for 21 for 145 yards against a defence missing three starting linebackers to injury and added a late touchdown run. Coach Leslie Frazier said he wasnt sure yet whether Ponder would keep the job for another game. The Vikings beat the Packers 37-34 last December to make the playoffs. But they needed 199 yards rushing from Peterson and the best game of Ponders career to do it, because Rodgers has rarely found resistance from this defence in purple. In his last eight games against the Vikings, he has 22 touchdowns and only three interceptions while completing roughly three-quarters of his passes. The Packers have won seven of those. "I wasnt going to let this team beat us," Rodgers said, adding: "A lot was on my shoulders." Micah Hyde had a punt return for a touchdown for the Packers, who never punted and held the ball for more than two-thirds of the game to counteract Cordarrelle Pattersons opening 109-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Packers have won 15 of their last 16 games against NFC North teams. "Weve got a great team, very well-coached," Rodgers said. "Guys are ready to play. It was loud in here. It was a tough environment, but guys stepped up." The Packers scored on their first two possessions, running a total of 31 plays for 160 yards that drained 15 minutes and 48 seconds off the clock. Eddie Lacy finished with 94 yards and a touchdown and James Starks ran for 57 yards and a score. "Everybody wants a 1,500-yard rusher. Ive always wanted an 1,100-yard rusher, because I plan on being in the playoffs, so I want him running the same way in January and February as he is in September and October," McCarthy said. The way Lacy has been pounding the ball, as the leading NFL rookie rusher, Rodgers hasnt had to come up with as many clutch throws with his top targets missing. Lacy and Starks took turns trampling an exhausted Vikings defence, with each guy contributing a touchdown on the ground and the Packers reaching a season-high 182 yards rushing. "When the heck is the last time the Green Bay Packers rushed for 200 yards on somebody?" defensive end Jared Allen said, slightly exaggerating the total. "If thats not a punch in the gut and a wake-up to people, something needs to be." The Packers converted 13 third downs and two fourth downs. The only time they had the ball and didnt score was the kneel-down at the end of the game. "These are the guys we have," Frazier said. "So weve got to figure out schematically what we can do with the guys that we have to be better." NOTES: The two longest plays in NFL history have happened here: Pattersons plus a 109-yard return by Antonio Cromartie of a missed field goal for San Diego in 2007. ... The Vikings finished 16-15 here against the Packers. ... Rodgers and Jennings embraced on the field after the game. Jennings made some critical comments about the quarterback in the off-season but Rodgers said Sunday night: "We had a lot of good memories together." Sami Vatanen Ducks Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Anaheim Ducks Jersey . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. http://www.officialduckshockey.com/Ryan-Garbutt-Jersey/ . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup.Oregon passed Florida State and moved into second place behind Alabama in the BCS standings. The Ducks jumping the Seminoles was not a surprise. Florida State had a slim lead on the Ducks in the first standings last week. Oregons convincing 42-14 victory against UCLA gave the Ducks the boost it needed. Oregon moved up to third from fourth in the computer ratings and remained second in both the USA Today coaches poll and the Harris poll to give it a .9517 BCS average. Florida State, after routing North Carolina State 49-17, has a .9211 BCS average. The Seminoles are third in each poll, though they gained a little ground on the Ducks, and second in the computer ratings. Two-time defending national champion Alabama is first across the board. Alabamas remaining schedule is LSU, Mississippi State, Chattanooga and Auburn before a possible Southeastern Conference championship game. If the Crimson Tide run the table, itll likely play in a third straight BCS championship game, and fourth in five years. Florida State has a chance to gain on Oregon this week when it plays seventh-place Miami on Saturday. The Ducks are off, but Oregons next game comes against sixth-place Stanford on Nov. 7. Florida States schedule after Miami has Wake Forest, Syracuse, Idaho and Florida before a possible Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Oregons schedule after Stanford has Utah, Arizona and Oregon State before a possible Pac-12 championship game. Andrew Cogliano Jersey. The long-term forecast looks good for the Ducks, with the Pac-12 generally rated tougher than the ACC. Ohio State is still fourth in the standings after its 63-14 victory against Penn State. The Buckeyes remaining games are against Purdue, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, and are in great shape for a Big Ten champion game appearance, too. Still, the Buckeyes probably need two of the teams ahead of them to lose to move up. Stanford is sixth in the standings, followed by unbeaten Baylor and Miami. Fresno State, in 16th-place, and Northern Illinois, in 17th, are manoeuvring to become the final BCS busters, in this the last year of the Bowl Championship Series. Fresno State, from the Mountain West Conference, or NIU, from the Mid-American Conference, can earn an automatic BCS bid by reaching the top-12 in the final BCS standings. Both will likely need to remain unbeaten to have a shot. One of them could also get an automatic bid if it finishes in the final top-16 and is ahead of one of the champions from the automatic qualifying conferences. Louisville, in 19th place, and Central Florida, in 23rd place, are currently the highest ranked American Athletic Conference teams in the standings. Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '