GB at MIN: Do the Vikings Keep the Magic Going through the Holiday Season?
GB at MIN: Week 17
Few, if any, would have predicted that the 13-2 Vikings would be hosting the 11-4 Packers. Green Bay, many assumed, would be in a fine spot, but Minnesota’s dominance was harder to foresee.
Week 17 is already underway thanks to the Christmas games and the Thursday Night Football tilt. One of the most exciting games, though, is still ahead: Green Bay marching into U.S. Bank Stadium in an effort to repeat last season’s huge victory over Minnesota. Can Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love, and the rest of the Packers put an end to the Vikings’ eight-game winning streak?
GB at MIN: The Must-See Division Match in Week 17
Take a quick look under the hood and you’ll see that Green Bay has a bit of horsepower.
LaFleur’s squad has the NFL’s 7th-best offense since they’re averaging 27.5 points per game. There’s then the league’s 6th-best defense, a side of the ball that’s allowing an average of just 19.1 points against per game. In a lot of ways, then, Green Bay mirrors Minnesota by boasting two top-ten units.
Leading the way on offense is Jordan Love, the QB1 who is following in the footsteps of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Love has a long way to go before he can be considered as great as those two, but he has proven that he’s a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL.
The young passer has completed 63.2% of his passes for 3,135 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. On PFF, Love comes in as the 16th-best quarterback with a solid 77.1 grade. His passer rating stands at 97.8. For reference, Sam Darnold finds himself at 6th on PFF (86.0 grade) and with a 105.4 passer rating.
Supporting Mr. Love is a great running back in Josh Jacobs. The former Raider has turned 278 carries into 1,216 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Packers fans and fantasy football players are very pleased with those numbers, especially since Jacobs had added on 35 receptions, 340 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown.
As a team, the Packers are sitting on a pretty respectable 43 sacks, which is only one behind Minnesota and 6th overall the NFL. The major difference rests on how many different contributors there are for that sack total.
Green Bay truly relies on a team effort. Leading the way is Rashan Gary, who has just 6.5 sacks. Contrast that with the Vikings who have three players — Jonathan Greenard with 11, Andrew Van Ginkel with 11, and Patrick Jones with 7 — who surpass that amount.
The suggestion is that the Vikings’ protection will need to be rock-solid across the board. Simply loading up to contain one or two threats won’t be enough.
Maybe disappointingly, I’m rolling with the Packers to win the game. I thought it would be a close one in the offseason, which I still agree with. The change comes in which team I think comes out on top. GB snags the close victory in a game where it’s hard to find defense.
Official Prediction: Packers 38 – Vikings 35
Prediction Record: 12-3
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.