Asher Allen News

Cornerback Antoine Winfield celebrates after intercepting a pass at the MN 23 in the second quarter, as the Vikings defeat the Green Bay Packers 30-23 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis on October 5, 2009 .

Don't get burned: Seattle receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson have their own reasons for wanting big personal performances and a victory.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield has given himself an "85 percent" chance of returning to play this week.

But Sapp didn't hesitate to name his No. 1. " Calvin Johnson is the best receiver in the league, hands down," Sapp said of the Detroit Lions star.

FELDY: Phersy, our favorite NFL club hits its bye week at a crisp 7-1 this week.

Kickoff: 3:15 p.m. TV: Ch. 9 . Radio: 1130-AM, 100.3 FM. Line: Packers by 3. Series: Packers lead 49-47-1. Last meeting: Vikings 30, Packers 23 .

Going into tomorrow's mega-matchup between the Packers and Vikings at Lambeau Field, those Brett Favre interceptions suddenly are a lot harder to come by.

Four days after a 33-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens , Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier recounted his emotions during a fourth quarter in which his defense blew a 17-point lead.

The Minnesota Vikings had the NFL 's top red-zone offense, scoring a touchdown on 65.2 percent of their trips inside an opponent's 20-yard line.

The Vikings had plenty of chances to win Sunday against the Steelers but ultimately coughed the ball up one too many times in the 27-17 loss.

PITTSBURGH a ' Antoine Winfield left the locker roomwith a walking boot on his right foot Sunday, but the Minnesota Vikings cornerback denied reports that he has a fractured foot and will be sidelined four to six weeks.

Maybe I've got the story of the week wrong. In this space, I always try to look at the aspect of the weekend's games that fascinates me the most, and the thing that really hit me the other day when looking over the 13 games on tap was this: Dick LeBeau and the Steelers against the two-headed Brett Favre/Adrian Peterson monster of the Vikings.

The Vikings may be in big trouble against the Steelers without Antoine Winfield.

The Vikings might be 6-0 this season, but little seems to be going right of late for the team's pass defense.

Asher Allen has made it a point to stop by Vikings coach Brad Childress' office on several occasions for input on his progress and what he needs to do to crack the game-day roster.

As they prepare to play the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, the Vikings will spend the next 24 hours assessing the health of several key players.

Georgia football took a major hit when three of its players departed early for the pros.

Philip Loadholt News: Week 5 inactives: QB Sage Rosenfels , RB Albert Young, CB Asher Allen, WR Darius Reynaud, LB Erin Henderson, WR Greg Lewis, DL Letroy Guion, OT Phil Loadholt.

Atari Bigby News: Packers Week 4 inactives: SS Atari Bigby, RB Brandon Jackson, CB Brandon Underwood, OT Breno Giacomini, OT Chad Clifton, LB Jeremy Thompson, DL Mike Montgomery, FB Quinn Johnson.

Before the Martin Luther King Jr. football team took the field for its first-round Class AAAAA playoff game against Tift County last year, then-junior Mack Brown stood before his teammates and boldly proclaimed, "I am going to score a touchdown and we are going to win this game." They believed him.