Vikings vs. Packers staff preview and predictions
The Minnesota Vikings will be looking to improve to 2-0 in the NFC North along with getting back to 0.500 when they take on the Green Bay Packers. They were desperate for a win against the San Francisco 49ers and they got one by a score of 22-17.
As things currently sit, the Vikings are currently tied for a wild card spot but would lose out on the tiebreaker to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a head-to-head loss.
The Vikings currently have two of their best players on injured reserve in Marcus Davenport and Justin Jefferson, but they are playing well regardless. Going into week eight, our staff previewed and predicted the border battle.
Managing editor Tyler Forness
Record: 4-3
After finding a way to get the upset last week against the San Francisco 49ers, the Vikings need to keep the momentum going. Despite being a favorite in the game against the Packers, it’s a massive rivalry game and it’s on the road.
The Packers lost a couple of defensive backs to injured reserve this week and Jaire Alexander is questionable. With the emergence of Jordan Addison as a major player for the Vikings, they should be able to take advantage and get to Jordan Love on defense as well. Look for the Vikings to finally have a game that doesn’t end in one score.
Vikings 31, Packers 20
Columnist Judd Zulgad
Record: 4-3
Nobody expected the Vikings to beat the 49ers on Monday night and, without the pressure of expectations, Minnesota went out and played its best game of the season in pulling off the upset over one of the favorites in the NFC. That put the Vikings a game away from .500 after starting the season with only one victory in their first five games. This game begins a five-game stretch for the Vikings in which they will face only one team that currently has a winning record. Winning games in Lambeau Field is never easy for the Packers’ arch-rival, but the drop from facing Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers for years to going against Jordan Love should help. The Vikings’ poor start also has left them little to no room for error so the way they played on Monday night has to be the way they play the rest of the season. The pressure is now on the team in purple.
Vikings 28, Packers 24
Columnist Saivion Mixson
Record: 4-3
The performance against San Francisco was just what the doctor ordered for the Minnesota Vikings. The selling talks can cease and they can focus on the task at hand: Getting the most out of what is likely the last year of the Kirk Cousins era. What does that look like? Nobody knows but stacking good performances may have this team looking frisky as we inch closer to playoff football.
Green Bay has been bitten by the injury bug badly and it showed against the Denver Broncos. Coming off that disappointing performance and seeing the Vikings, who played a complete game for the first time this season, is not ideal.
I see Minnesota stacking another big day on top of a Green Bay team that could be fighting to stay out of the basement of the NFC South.
Vikings 31, Packers 23
Columnist Chris Spooner
Record: 3-0
Minnesota desperately needed a big win on their resume to quell all the rumors about who they were going to unload and how they were going to rebuild. They got that in spades on Monday with their win over the 49ers. Now the question is: Can they carry that momentum into this week and get a big win over a struggling Packers team?
Green Bay is sitting at 2-4 on the season and coming off of three straight losses, including to two struggling teams in the Raiders and Broncos. Not much is going right for them and they are going to be looking desperately for a ‘get right’ game. They won’t find it this week with a surging Vikings team on the move in the NFC. The Vikings should take this one by a comfortable margin.
Vikings 27, Packers 13
