Green Bay Packers: Return of Vikings’ Chris Cook changes things

GREEN BAY, Wis. — On paper, the return of cornerback Chris Cook should make the Minnesota Vikings better equipped to contain the multiple wide-receiver sets of the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Dec. 30, at the Metrodome.

Cook started and played 37 snaps in the Vikings’ 23-6 victory in Houston. He had been on the designated-injured reserve since suffering a broken arm Oct. 25 against Tampa Bay.

In the Vikings-Packers game Dec. 2, Minnesota used Antoine Winfield (81 snaps), A.J. Jefferson (81) and rookie Josh Robinson (58) at cornerback. Now in nickel, Cook and Jefferson play outside, Winfield mans the slot and Robinson sits.

“Cook is a good-sized corner and did a decent job against Houston,” an executive in personnel for an AFC team said. “He’s a (big) improvement over Jefferson. I’m not high on Robinson or Jefferson.”

Cook, 6 feet 2 inches and 212 pounds, was the 34th player drafted in 2010. As a rookie, he suffered cartilage damage in both knees but returned as nickel back at Lambeau Field that October.

James Jones turned an 8-yard slant into a 45-yard gain and caught a 32-yard bomb, both against Cook. Greg Jennings also beat him on a 24-yard dig route.

Cook was pulled as the nickel in that game and as the starter a month later at the Metrodome. In that game, Jennings beat him on a 47-yard take-off route and Jones beat him on a 39-yard go route plus a 3-yard TD.

Against the Texans, Cook matched against wide receiver Andre Johnson some of the game.

“The guy is a talented DB,” an opposing assistant coach said. “He’s got size and range. I thought he played pretty well being away from it for six weeks. Jefferson isn’t as good as Cook is and he isn’t in Winfield’s range, either.”

Cook sat out both games last season after his arrest on felony domestic assault charges. He was acquitted in March.

Meanwhile, Winfield, 35, will play with a cast on his right hand protecting a bone that he broke in the first quarter Sunday.

“It will affect him,” the coach said. “You don’t have to worry about him making any interceptions with a broken hand. He probably won’t be as effective.

“At the same time, the guy is a great competitor. He’s a good tackler even at this point in his career. I don’t see him not giving effort and trying to be productive.”

Add to it

The Packers will be trying to win for the third straight year at the Metrodome for the first time in almost 30 years. Not since 1983-’84-’85 have they won three in a row in Minneapolis.

Since the Vikings began playing at the Metrodome in 1982, the Packers are 14-15 there. They went 5-1 from 1983-’88, 3-11 from 1989-2002 and 6-3 from 2003-’11.

Green Bay has won five in a row over the Vikings, who were a 71/2-point underdog in Houston. They haven’t overcome longer odds in two years, or since their 24-14 victory in Philadelphia as a 14-point underdog late in the ’10 season.

“We’re excited around here to be back in a game of this magnitude,” linebacker Chad Greenway said Wednesday. “I think the most exciting part for us is we get to be at home. I think we all know we play a lot better football in the loud dome.”

Coach Leslie Frazier said the Houston game was the most complete for the Vikings as a team and the best performance by defense.

“This was as good as I’ve seen us play defensively in a long, long time,” Greenway said afterward in Houston.

Besides Winfield, defensive end Jared Allen (shoulder-illness) and running back Adrian Peterson (abdomen) sat out Wednesday. They’re expected to play along with defensive end Brian Robison (shoulder), who was sidelined in Houston.

Coming on

Having been without wide receiver Percy Harvin since Game 9, the Vikings have begun to integrate rookie Jarius Wright into the offense. In their three-game winning streak the wide receivers have caught merely 27 passes for 275 yards, but Wright is the leader in yards with 93 in eight receptions.

“He’s very shifty,” an opposing coach said. “He’s explosive and makes plays on the ball. Very talented young guy. He’s their go-to guy on third down, for sure.”

In Houston, the Vikings kept motioning Wright, who has 4.43-second speed in the 40, into and out of the backfield.

“They’re throwing him flares and screens,” one scout said. “He’s a legit downfield guy. He definitely does help them because he has the speed and he’s a little more dynamic as a slot guy.”

Since the Green Bay game, Michael Jenkins leads the wideouts in snaps with 115, followed by Jerome Simpson (101), Wright (69), Devin Aromashodu (57) and Stephen Burton (33).

Their primary receiver is Kyle Rudolph, who played 175 of 190 snaps in Games 13-15. He has more touchdown catches (nine) than any tight end except New England’s Rob Gronkowski (10).

After throwing two killer interceptions in Green Bay, Christian Ponder has been picked just once in three games. His three-game passer rating of 75.8 is slightly below his season mark of 78.8, which ranks 26th.

“I think Ponder is horrible,” one NFC scout said. “They’re hiding him. He wasn’t very good a year ago and he’s even worse now.

“He’s just a backup in the NFL. He doesn’t want to throw the ball down the field. … He won’t win it. The running back is the guy who will win it.”