The Vikings Can Beat the Packers — If They Check These 3 Boxes
They are underdogs, but the NFL is an unpredictable week-to-week mess, so why shouldn’t the Vikings defy the odds and defeat the Packers in Week 12? In the midst of their disappointing 4-6 season, the Vikings desperately need a win to keep their season alive.
The Vikings Can Beat the Packers — If They Check These 3 Boxes
It’ll not be easy by any means, but a clean operation could still give them a chance. If the win over the Detroit Lions (also a road game) showed us anything, it’s that the squad has a chance against anybody if they just play sound football.
Here are three things Kevin O’Connell’s unit needs to do to have a shot.
1. NFL-Level Passing Attack
There’s no denying it: the aerial attack the Vikings have been deploying isn’t NFL-worthy. It’s an overwhelmed quarterback under center who’s pretty much among the worst ones in the NFL by whatever metric you’d like to use. Last week, another issue came to light; the receivers dropped several catchable passes.
Both of those things need to be resolved quickly, not just to keep the organization in playoff scenarios, but primarily to provide some hope for the future. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy needs to show some promise in the final seven games of his first season as a starter in the NFL.
Through his first five games, he has 842 passing yards, eight total touchdowns (two rushing), and eight interceptions. Improved accuracy and decision-making, paired with receivers actually doing their jobs, would be a good first step to make an upset possible.
2. Run the Ball
Because the passing game is shaky and a 400-yard explosion is unlikely at this point, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has to give his running backs the ball and trust them to get the job done.
Both Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason have been efficient this season and can be fed a heavy dose of carries. Furthermore, the offensive line is now fully healthy for the first time this season. It’ll be hard to win the game by entirely relying on the run, but the run-pass ratio can’t get out of hand as it has done frequently under O’Connell’s watch.
Last week’s game against the Bears was a good sign for that premise.
3. Win Turnover Battle
Think back to last season. The Vikings were cruising towards the playoffs with a strong record. On Sunday, they once again secured an early lead because Sam Darnold threw a rocket to Justin Jefferson. It was a short field, however, as Josh Metellus deflected a pass and Byron Murphy was in the right place at the right time to grab the interception.
What followed was Metellus and fellow safety Cam Bynum performing one of their choreographies in the endzone. It was the team’s second takeaway of the day.
None of that magic carried over into 2025. The Vikings have just nine takeaways, ranking them amongst the worst in the league. Meanwhile, they have given up the ball 18 times, the second-most in football, leading to a second-worst turnover differential in the NFL.
The Vikings will struggle to overcome a six-point spread by just playing the Packers straight-up. Stealing a drive or two by making plays on defense (and special teams) while simultaneously taking care of the ball is winning football.
Under Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings have a 33-5 record when they at least tie the turnover battle. When they don’t, that record drops to 5-20.
The Vikings lost the turnover battle in all six of their losses this season. Only the game against Cleveland resulted in a victory despite turning the ball over more often than the opponent.
McCarthy has yet to finish a game without a turnover, but the Vikings’ chances increase dramatically when he finally does. On defense, it’s time to channel some of the 2024 vibe, when Brian Flores’ squad led the league in takeaways.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.