GREEN BAY, Wis.—Two of the most scrutinized quarterbacks in the NFL crossed swords Monday night at Lambeau Field in a game that could have revealed the future of the NFC North.

In the Green Bay Packers' 24-19 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Aaron Rodgers' play gave the impression he might become the quarterback king of the division while Tarvaris Jackson's play raised serious concerns about the Vikings' ability to contend.

Rodgers was starting his first NFL game in front of the mostly receptive home folks, each of whom was holding a ticket with Brett Favre's picture on it. Even the most hopeful Packers fans could not expect Rodgers' career to come close to Favre's, but for one night at least, Rodgers was more than an able replacement.

"I can't even imagine the kind of pressure that's on that guy's shoulders after the last few weeks around here," Packers fullback Korey Hall said. "He was able to come out and manage the huddle, manage the game. He got rid of it when he needed to.

"He's one of those guys that you say he doesn't have any regular-season game experience, but it's just natural to him—taking control of the game and the huddle. I thought he did a great job with it."

In the end, it was Vikings fans, not Packers fans, who were wishing Favre was quarterbacking their team.

Jackson lived up to his billing as the weak link of the Vikings. His 7.2-yard average per run was better than his 5.1 average per pass. He completed only 46 percent of his throws (16 of 35 for 178 yards) and he threw an interception to squelch the Vikings' last-ditch attempt to steal the game.

Rodgers' playing style was closer to Jackson's than Favre's, except that he was far superior. Rodgers gave the Packers' offense another dimension by running the ball eight times, with three of his runs resulting in first downs and another resulting in a 1-yard touchdown.

But it was his passing that had the skeptics questioning their positions. Rodgers completed 82 percent of his passes (18 of 22 for 178 yards) and had a 115.5 passer rating.

Among his highlights were a 1-yard touchdown pass to Hall (he was the third read on the play), a 25-yard pass to Donald Driver to set up a field goal, a 56-yard pass to Greg Jennings (it actually was a better catch than throw) and a 68-yard completion that would have been a touchdown if not for an ineligible man downfield penalty—one of 12 Packers penalties in the game and 21 penalties by both teams.

Rodgers had a little help from his friends, including a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown by Will Blackmon, a pass protection effort that totally shut down Vikings end Jared Allen and a 57-yard run by Ryan Grant.

But the night was about Rodgers, who played with a palpable energy.

"He's young, he's excited, he's fired up to be out there," Packers guard Darren Colledge said. "It's not old hat for him. He's just excited to get out and play football, and you can see that.

"He's pure energy inside the huddle and he's positive about everything. He thinks we can convert on any situation. That's the kind of guy you want in there."

Rodgers even had his first Lambeau Leap after his touchdown.

"I've been dreaming about that for four years to be honest, and I was hoping my first leap would be maybe something a little more flashy — 10-yard, 15-yard run or something," Rodgers said.

Rodgers was the last player on the field after completing a television interview. When he ran off, those who were remaining in the stands cheered him as if he were wearing No. 4 instead of No. 12.