By Dave Begel Contributing Writer Published Nov 21, 2010 at 11:09 AM

The National Football League is fond of saying "On Any Given Sunday.'

The implication is that on any given Sunday anyone can win a football game.

I don't really believe that. I think that on most Sundays the better team wins. The team that has better talent, better coaching, better schemes and a better attitude most often emerges a winner.

Which brings us to today, and the Green Bay Packers against the Minnesota Vikings.

People talk about how this is a "must-win" game for the Vikings to retain any hope at all to salvage a season that has sailed upon the rocks, but I think it is much more a must game for the Packers.

Green Bay is a better team than Minnesota. That is not even up for debate. The Packers are well-rested, coming off a bye week. They are in the thick of a race with the Bears for the NFC North title.

But more than the statistics and won-loss records, this is a must win for the psyche of the Green Bay Packers and their legions of dedicated fans.

For many reasons, the Vikings-Packers rivalry is the most intense the Packers have. And in recent years, the Vikings have had Green Bay's number. But maybe not this year.

Good teams, playoff teams, Super Bowl teams (maybe), win games like this one. They take their critical opponent and stomp on its neck and drive it into the ground. They give no quarter and they establish dominance. They walk proudly off the field, knowing they have solidly vanquished a pretender to their throne.

The Green Bay Packers, again despite what records say, sit atop the throne of the NFC North. They were the pre-season pick and they are the favorites to win now. They are a team on a streak.

But if they somehow lose to the Vikings, it will be a crushing blow of immense proportions. The Vikings appear to be a team about to implode. Nobody is talking to anybody else. They say that all of that is forgotten once you get on the field, but I don't believe it.

It is for more likely for a team to play well when there is an absence of distractions like players calling their head coach a traitor, or incompetent. That is not a climate likely to produce a cohesive effort on the field.

If the Packers lose, all those doubts, that have been pushed almost out of sight, will resurface and the team will not only have to face questions from outside, but there will be plenty of questions in the locker room as well. This will almost overnight become a team of doubt rather than a team of conviction.

This is, as they say, a time for real men to stand up and be counted. Buckle your chin strap and adjust your pads. Get ready to be hit hard and get ready to hit back harder. Win this one, and your days will be bright and sunny. Lose and the storm clouds will drape Lambeau Field.

Dave Begel Contributing Writer

With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.

He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.

This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.

Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.