The Vikings Officially Cannot Lose Tonight in Green Bay
Josh Frey
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Tonight’s Sunday Night Football matchup with the Green Bay Packers already felt like a must-win for the Minnesota Vikings after last week’s loss. Now, it has officially become a game that the Vikings cannot lose. After the Philadelphia Eagles put together a 20-16 win against the Washington Football Team, Minnesota has to either tie with the Packers or win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Obviously, this will not be an easy task. Adam Thielen is out for the rest of the season, and Kirk Cousins entered Covid protocols on New Year’s Eve, making Sean Mannion the starter for Minnesota. All this combined with expected frigid conditions at Lambeau leave the Vikings at a serious disadvantage against the reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
This will be Mannion’s third career start, and he is still looking for his first career touchdown pass in the NFL. Each of his first two starts have led to losses, and he has combined to throw 295 yards and two interceptions while completing passes at a 58% clip. His most recent start was in Week 17 against the Bears. The Vikings lost that game 21-19, and Mannion passed for 125 yards with two of his three career INTs coming in that game.
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With the expected temperature being in the single digits, it should be expected that the Vikings use a lot of Dalvin Cook in order to try to win. The veteran RB missed Minnesota’s Week 16 matchup with Rams with an ankle injury, but he is expected to be a full-go tonight. The Vikings will desperately need a terrific game from him for any chance at winning.
There are also additional games with playoff implications this afternoon before the Vikings play. San Francisco plays the Texans, needing to win in order to keep pace with the Eagles for the six seed. The New Orleans Saints also play the Carolina Panthers today, needing a win or 49ers loss in order to stay in the playoff hunt.