What Minnesota Vikings Fans Need to Know Ahead of Week 17 vs. the Green Bay Packers
The Minnesota Vikings extended their winning streak to eight games this past weekend, defeating the Seattle Seahawks in a thriller, 27-24.
As a result, they and the Detroit Lions sit in a tie for the best record in the NFC at 13-2, meaning these final two weeks of the season could prove to be very pivotal for this season’s playoff bracket. Minnesota’s next opponent will also be in that playoff field this year, their hated division rival, the Green Bay Packers.
Here is a look at everything Minnesota Vikings fans need to know ahead of that matchup.
How to Watch the Minnesota Vikings This Week
The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will face off at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, December 29. Recently, the game was flexed out of the noon slot and now will kick off at 3:25 p.m. Central. The game can be watched on FOX and can also be streamed via NFL+ in the NFL app and on NFL Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV.
Packers vs. Vikings History
In the histories of the two hated rivals, the Packers and Vikings have met a grand total of 128 times, including a pair of playoff matchups. It has been a tight rivalry, but the Packers lead the all-time series with a record of 66-59-3.
The Vikings won the most recent matchup between these two teams back in Week 4 with a 31-29 win at Lambeau Field. However, Minnesota has lost in Week 17 to Green Bay in back-to-back seasons, suffering blowout losses in each game.
Packers Spotlight Player: QB Jordan Love
Jordan Love was a turnover machine early in the season, throwing at least one interception in each of the first eight games he played. However, he has now gone five games without throwing an interception and has also tossed eight touchdown passes during that stretch.
In the first meeting between these two teams, the Vikings’ defense jumped on Love early, forcing two interceptions in the first half, which allowed them to jump out to a 28-7 lead at halftime. While the score certainly was a factor in how the Vikings played defense for much of the second half, Love seemed to compose himself over those final 30 minutes, though.
If Love can keep the turnover tally clean this time around, the outcome could look different. The Vikings will need to make him uncomfortable with pressure and clean pass defense in order to get him out of rhythm once again.
Vikings Spotlight Player: RB Aaron Jones
With 67 rushing yards in last weekend’s win, Aaron Jones now sits at 1046 for the year and is less than 100 yards away from his career high of 1121, which he reached in 2022 with the Packers. There is a very real chance that he reaches a new career high total against his new team.
In the first matchup against Green Bay, Jones proved to be a very versatile weapon for Minnesota’s offense. He totaled 22 carries for 93 yards and also added four receptions for an additional 46 receiving yards.
However, after totaling 109+ yards from scrimmage in three of Minnesota’s first four games, he has only done so four times in the last 11 games. The Vikings will need him to get back to his early season dominance if they want to sweep the season series and secure at least the top Wild Card spot in the NFC.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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