On a night when much of the hype went to Brett Favre’s first game against his former team, it was the Vikings defense, along with Favre, that stole the show in a 30-23 win over the Green Bay Packers Monday night. Led by Jared Allen, Minnesota created three turnovers and sacked Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers eight times, 4.5 of those from Allen. He consistently beat the Packer tackles around the edge, including the key moment of the game where he brought Rodgers down, initially for a fumble, but was later ruled a safety after review.And Favre was his old self again, threading throws into tight spaces, going 24 of 31 for 271 yards and three touchdowns. The long ball was a factor, with Bernard Berrian catching a 31-yard pass from him with the Green Bay defense caught off-guard before the snap. Even without the help of the ESPN announcers, you could see that his arm was in midseason form. As I’ve said on plenty of occasions already, if he can stay healthy, Minnesota’s offense will be in great shape.

This was a game where there wasn’t too much to disparage from the Vikings overall. Adrian Peterson, who was the focal point of Green Bay’s game plan, had a slow game. AP only picked 55 yards on 25 carries, including a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He was also stripped on one carry by Clay Matthews, which he returned for a touchdown.

Another small cause of concern was the Vikes letting Green Bay back into the game late. Minnesota held a 30-14 lead with 7:21 left in the fourth quarter after Allen’s safety, but one touchdown and a field goal later, and it was a seven-point game with 55 seconds left. Thankfully, Sidney Rice was able to cover the second of two onside kicks to close out the game.

Team/Player Photos: Minnesota Vikings Team / Player Photos on Jul 26, 2010

From a special teams standpoint, neither side was able to get a big return. One performer that stood out was punter Chris Kluwe, who consistently pinned the Packers inside their own 20 for much of the second half, setting up Allen’s safety.

The key this week will be to avoid a letdown against a struggling team in the St. Louis Rams. If they can get out of a slow start, the Vikings should be well on their way to a 5-0 start. Check back tomorrow for a breakdown and a bold prediction on the game.