Dec 31, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) looks on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
If you’re going to the Minnesota Vikings showdown against the Green Bay Packers this weekend, adjust your timing.
The game has been flexed into the 3:25 pm CST time slot, per the NFL.
The Vikings were initially slated to host the Packers at noon CST on Sunday, December 29th, but the NFL will now maximize visibility by plopping the NFC North tryst in the late afternoon window.
NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero tweeted Monday, six days before Vikings-Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium: “Flex! The NFL has moved Sunday’s Packers-Vikings game into the 4:25 p.m. ET slot. Cowboys-Eagles moves to 1 p.m.”
Green Bay has a 10-4 record at the moment, taking on the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, the last game of the Week 16 docket. The Packers are expected to slaughter the Saints and then onto U.S. Bank Stadium for a late afternoon battle they go.
The Vikings, meanwhile, defeated the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, a three-point win over a team with hopes of winning the NFC West. Along the way, Minnesota disqualified Green Bay from winning the NFC North. The Packers cannot win the division, though they can achieve the NFC’s No. 5 seat if they oust Minnesota or Detroit from the spot.
Cowboys-Eagles flexed out of the late afternoon window is a temporary fall from grace — mostly the Cowboys’ fault. Nothing went right for Dallas this season, especially after quarterback Dak Prescott was placed on injured reserve. The Cowboys, however, did play well on Sunday Night Football, toppling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home and increasing the Atlanta Falcons’ chance of winning the NFC South and reaching the postseason.
Minnesota is an early two-point favorite to beat Green Bay this weekend, a signal that sportsbooks believe the Packers are just a little bit better than the Vikings. The NFL home team usually gives three points to the home team, so for Minnesota to open as a two-point favorite means that Vegas believes the Packers are a whisker better than the Vikings.
Kevin O’Connell’s team has won eight straight games after losing two following the bye in Week 6. If Minnesota wins over Green Bay and Detroit in the next 13 days, it will grab homefield advantage throughout the postseason, which it has not enjoyed since 1998.
At +1100, Minnesota has the league’s sixth-best odds of winning the Super Bowl. Green Bay has a +1300 moneyline.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.