Vikings, Seahawks in big one tonight

"Ask Vic" will publish on M-W-F during the football season.

Ben from Hilo, HI
Just win, baby?
That's right. The Packers took care of business in a somewhat ho-hum game. It was as we expected; a good team beat a bad team. There's no need to dwell on it. Packers fans should focus all of their attention on tonight's game. This is the big one.

Paul from Chicago, IL
Vic, what did you make of the Ravens/49ers matchup? It looked like it might be a Super Bowl preview to me.
It was an outstanding game between two elite opponents. It came down to a fourth-down play the 49ers failed to convert. The weather was a factor in the outcome, but I don't think it favored either team. The 49ers did a decent job of making Lamar Jackson be a passer but, in the final analysis, he was still able to beat them with his legs. I thought he was unimpressive as a passer, and opponents are going to study tape of this game very closely. What I took from this game is the Ravens run a wildcat offense with a passer at running back. To beat the Ravens you must take the run away from Jackson. I think it's just that simple.

Nathan from New York, NY
Do the Vikings have to beat Seattle to win the division?
Probably. If the Vikings win tonight, the Dec. 23 game in Minnesota will likely be for the NFC North title.

Bill from Hawthorn Woods, IL
Minshew came in. Will they go back? Can they? This is a mess. Long lives the string of QB errors, going back to Big Ben.
Be patient. It's obvious where this is headed.

Greg from Danbury, CT
What do you think of Daniel Jones? He's gotta fix those interceptions, but I'm not sure his arm is the problem. What do your eyes tell you?
He reminds me of Peyton Manning in Manning's rookie season.

William from Savannah, GA
Vic, I am glad management acted responsibly in Pittsburgh last year and wasn't tempted to replace Mike Tomlin. As I look at the Steelers' roster today and see the loss of talent at QB, LB, WR and RB, I am convinced Tomlin is one of those coaches who could take his and beat yours, or take yours and beat his.
He can certainly take his and beat Freddie's. Kitchens made a fool of himself this weekend by wearing that silly, fan t-shirt out in public. He's not a pro. He should be fired.

John from Philadelphia, PA
Can you give us a former player comparison for Aaron Jones? How would you describe his running style?
Warrick Dunn. Darting.

John from St. Augustine, FL
Could you give us some examples of how the 2011 CBA took power from the coaches and put it in the hands of the players?
It set a limit on padded practices and turned training camp into an extension of OTAs.

Bernie from Midlothian, VA
No Ray Nitschke in the top list of linebackers?
Nitschke is beloved. He was a great player but not a top 100 player. It's been written Phil Bengtson wanted to replace Nitschke with Dave Robinson but Lombardi was concerned there might be a negative reaction on the team to an African American middle linebacker.

Mary from North Bay, Ontario
Every time I watch the Saints, I am reminded of what a talent that got away from the Packers in Taysom Hill. It is a testament to lack of creativity when they couldn't see his potential. How could they miss on him even as a special teams guy?
Every team has misses. The Saints passed on Aaron Rodgers in the 2005 draft when Aaron Brooks was their quarterback. The Steelers passed on Dan Marino, who played just five miles away from Three Rivers Stadium, a month after Terry Bradshaw had elbow surgery that effectively ended his career. In Hill's case, it wasn't a miss. The Packers are the team that signed him, which means they're the team that identified his talent. The Packers' failure is in thinking Hill would clear waivers. It was a miscalculation.

Jerry from Savannah, GA
Vic, a reporter asked Jim Harbaugh if there was a talent, preparation or coaching gap between Ohio State and Michigan and Coach Harbaugh seemingly didn’t have the response in front of him. Was there a less contentious way for the reporter to ask the question or was the question fair?
I agree with Harbaugh, the question was insulting. Don't ask a question that requires a dissertation for an answer. The question was smug; it was more of an accusation than a question. The appropriate question was: "Coach, is there a talent gap?" He'll take it from there. If he refuses, you're not going anywhere with that line of questioning. Often I get the sense reporters ask all-encompassing questions to show off their toughness. There's only one reason to ask a question: to get an answer.

Bob from Kennesaw, GA
"Hey, it was a different time." What's changed? What is it about our present time that we feel less safe and less able to trust people?
For starters, there are 100 million more people living in America than there was when I hitched a ride home on May 4, 1970, which wasn't a day I felt safer and more able to trust people than I do today. When your country sends its military to shoot and kill you because you've exercised your right for peaceful protest, that's not a good time.

Brian from Columbia, MD
Ole Miss lost the vaunted Egg Bowl when its star receiver scored a TD with four seconds left in the game and celebrated by imitating a dog urinating. Really. It drew a flag that pushed back the PAT kick attempt that failed, leaving Ole Miss a point short of a tie.
Ole Miss began the season by accusing a PAC 12 officiating crew of cheating to aid Cal in a win over the Rebels at Ole Miss. I watched the game and I can say it was a shameful and embarrassing accusation by Ole Miss. Now, this. What a great season Ole Miss had. Is football worth the loss of an institution's dignity?

Jack from Chicago, IL
Do you really believe the game looks dirtier than ever, or is that a slight hyperbole? I wasn't around for it but the Jack Tatums and the image of Charles Martin slamming McMahon to the ground resonate in my mind. I am not saying the game isn't dirty, but at least they are punished for deliberately trying to hurt each other now.
I'm mostly referring to the sinister look that has become one of the game's signatures. The taunting, trash-talking, choreographed celebrations and tough-guy body language leave a bad taste in my mouth. As I've written, I had always regarded football as a noble endeavor, but I'm having difficulty finding noble behavior in today's game. I look at a player such as Sean Lee and wonder why we don't celebrate him. He does his job without all the bravado and I enjoy watching that type of player. Maybe we're the problem. Maybe the taunters and trash-talkers are just giving us what we want.

Nathan from New York, NY
Would you be in favor of removing the Lions from the Thanksgiving schedule?
Teams aren't lined up to host a game on Thanksgiving. I remember Dan Rooney telling me his season ticket holders would be furious if the Steelers were scheduled to host a game on Thanksgiving. It's a day for family.

Justin from Titonka, IA
Tony Dungy should call more games. Much better than Chatty.
Tony is outstanding. There was a play in the Saints-Falcons game in which Matt Ryan was sacked and it appeared Ryan's pass protection failed, but Tony immediately put the blame on Ryan for not getting the ball out quickly. Tony was able to read the formation, the route tree and the cut blocks up front and immediately know the play was designed for some sort of quick throw. That's what I seek in analysis. I don't want to know what play should've been called, I want to know why the play called worked or didn't work.

Steve from Lake Stevens, WA
Are the Bills legit and Josh Allen "The Man?"
Yes, to both. The Bills are poised to become the new power in the AFC East. All of a sudden, the AFC is looking pretty strong.

Scott from Hamlin, NY
Receivers are a dime a dozen, but for the last 5-7 years the Packers receivers haven't been able to create separation. How do the Packers fix this problem?
I don't agree with your assessment. The Packers' receivers are good enough for the team to make a postseason run. I think the Packers missed an opportunity to pick a wide receiver during the run on the position in this year's draft, but they can hit that position next year. You can't draft everybody and the draft never seems to run out of wide receivers.