20 Brief & Essential Facts: Vikings-Packers
Dustin Baker
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Each week, VikingsTerritory details 20 statistical or interesting facts about the upcoming Minnesota Vikings game. This week’s edition involves the Green Bay Packers, who are 1.5-point favorites to down the Vikings in Week 1.
The game is Sunday at 3:25 pm CST at U.S. Bank Stadium and is on FOX.
These are the 20 random facts to know about Vikings-Packers:
1. Kirk Cousins has thrown a touchdown pass in 30 consecutive games. It is the longest active streak in the NFL. He’d need to reach 55 games to top the all-time record held by Drew Brees.
2. The last time Cousins didn’t toss a touchdown pass in a game was Week 2 of 2020 at the Indianapolis Colts.
3. The Vikings are 30-30 (.500) all-time at home versus the Packers.
4. Ed Ingram is on track as the lone rookie to start for the 2022 Vikings.
5. Despite the overused talking point of “the Vikings have basically the same roster as last year,” Minnesota got rid of about 25 players from 2021’s active roster.
6. Justin Jefferson and Danielle Hunter — perhaps the team’s two best players — are not team captains in 2022.
7. The Vikings have made the playoffs 30 times. In 22 of those seasons, they won their Week 1 game.
8. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has pulled off more trades (10) in 2022 than Rick Spielman ever did in a single year.
9. There was an odd stretch starting at the end of the 2015 season, extending through the end of the 2018 season, where the Packers beat the Vikings just once in 7 tries.
10. The Vikings have never hosted the Packers in a Week 1 game with fans in attendance.
11. Jalen Reagor’s yards per reception has dipped 28% from college to the pros.
12. Aaron Rodgers suffered the biggest loss of his career via point spread during last year’s Week 1 game (38-3 loss to the Saints).
13. The Packers defensive 3rd Down Conversion Percentage (42.5%) was the ninth-worst in the NFL last year.
14. The Vikings defensive 3rd Down Conversion Percentage (36.4%) was the fourth-best in the NFL last year.
15. Green Bay was the NFL’s worst field goal-kicking team in 2021 (72.2%).
16. The Packers were called for the fewest penalties in the NFL last season (69).
17. The Vikings 3rd Down Conversion Percentage on offense (36.4%) in 2021 ranked seventh-worst in the NFL.
18. Minnesota had the fewest turnovers (giveaways) in the NFL last year. The team protected the ball phenomenally and still missed the postseason.
19. Throughout the historical battle of Vikings and Packers, whichever team scores first wins 61% of the time.
20. In addition to Mike Zimmer, Vikings-Packers on Sunday will be the first Vikings home game against the Packers since 2013 without Anthony Barr on the field.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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