Favre set for another big Monday night

Green Bay's clash with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night may seem a strange choice for the game of week 11 of the NFL season but there is something special about Monday night football and Brett Favre, the Green Bay quarter-back that gets everyone watching. The Packers may need to win just about every game from now on to get a play-off spot but after a disastrous start they may just be waking up, while the Vikings are 4 and 5 on the season and second in their division, having won three of their last four games.

Click here to bet on NFL at bet365

Things could easily have been much rosier for the Packers, with running back Ahman Green out for the season through injury and several other big names missing. Standing at 2 and 7 is a pretty bad position, but another win and suddenly they may start dreaming of winning a play-off spot as 8 and 8 has been enough several times in the past.

What's more, four of their seven defeats have been by a margin of three points or less, so they could quite realistically be standing at 6 and 3. However, they are not, and they need to maintain the momentum from last week's win. Favre looks much more relaxed now, and the emergence of Samkon Gado, who rushed for over 100 yards last week, has helped their offence to be much more balanced, and therefore offering Favre more options. With a couple of their usual starters possibly coming back this week, they should be more confident and I expect a strong showing.

The Vikings have also recovered from a poor start, but that was perhaps to be expected as they had to adjust to life without Randy Moss, who left the team in the summer. In recent weeks, with Daunte Culpepper out for the season through injury, Brad Johnson has done a decent job of marshalling the offence, but they are still far from prolific in yardage terms. On stats alone, I would give this one to the Packers, but the fact that they are at home and that Favre is starting to sense a turnaround in the team's fortunes makes me even more convinced that Green Bay can win and win well.

Odds of 10-11 giving up just 4.5 points would seem to be on the generous side.

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.