Packers Coach Is Paranoid about Vikings Fans
The Minnesota Vikings travel to Green Bay this weekend, hoping to knock off the Packers at Lambeau Field for a third consecutive time. Along the way, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is requesting cheese fans not to sell their tickets to Vikings fans.
The Packers coach sounds paranoid about Minnesota Vikings fans, fueling rivalry buzz and adding extra juice to an already heated division matchup.
Sometimes, Border Battle showdowns feature ample cross-pollination, and LaFleur doesn’t want to see it this go-round.
Matt LaFleur Recommends No Ticket Sales to Vikings Fans
His word probably won’t mean much.
LaFleur: We Don’t Want Many Vikings Fans in the House
The Packers’ coach isn’t a huge fan of purple attire in his bleachers.
He told reporters this week, “Hopefully our fans will show up in droves and not sell their tickets to the Vikings fans, because we’ve seen that happen before.”
LaFleur added, about the contest, in general, “Obviously, the divisional games are absolutely critical. You talk about this three-game stretch, but really, all that matters is this one game for us right now. We just got to focus on what’s right in front of us, and that’s to try to put together the best plan to go out and play a team that I think is an extremely tough football team, and, shoot, they put it on us twice last year.”
A Two-Way Street
It must be mentioned: this is a shared problem.
When attending a Vikings-Packers game at U.S. Bank Stadium — without fail — the Packers’ interests are well-represented.
When Green Bay scores a touchdown, the roar is so palpable that Vikings fans have to check for a flag on the field because it seems like purple fans are cheering for a Green Bay gaffe. Therefore, while LaFleur’s grievance might be strange to air in public, there’s a decent chance that Kevin O’Connell feels the same way at his stadium.
LaFleur Inching to the Hot Seat?
Speaking of LaFleur, his team has two bad losses this season to the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers. Losing to the Philadelphia Eagles a week and a half ago prompted some hot seat chatter for the skipper.
Zone Coverage‘s Brandon Virk wrote last week, “Entering the year, much was made of new team president Ed Policy’s decision not to extend LaFleur. Suddenly, folks are coming around to the idea of gaining as much information as possible before moving forward. Love, who signed a four-year, $220 million extension in the offseason, feels entrenched.”
“For LaFleur, the plan to keep his job feels quite simple. All he has to do is call plays more aggressively. He can have his idea of a productive offense, but by cooling down on the inside zones and inventive bubble screens and letting Love drop back and sling it, he can illuminate who’s truly holding this offense back.”
Beating the New York Giants on the road quieted the faint chatter, but a Minnesota dub would whisk it right back to the forefront.
Packers as 6.5-Point Favorites
Meanwhile, sportsbooks and NFL pundits expect Green Bay to win over Minnesota on Sunday — quite handily.
The Vikings are 6.5-point underdogs in Week 12, as the masses don’t trust J.J. McCarthy to solve his accuracy woes through five games. Fans are holding out hope for a flashing lightbulb moment, where McCarthy clicks, and then it’s just off the races.
However, that’s an optimist’s viewpoint. The world believes Minnesota will lose by a touchdown.
SI.com on LaFleur’s Request
Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated noted this week, “The Vikings have won their last two trips to Lambeau Field, and there have been a lot of purple shirts in the stands for both games. Because it’s a rivalry game and border battle, tickets are expensive.”
“The cheapest ticket in Section 120, which is located behind the Packers’ bench – is $470. That’s a nice profit ahead of the Christmas shopping season. While a season-ticket holder might not want to sell to a Vikings fan, there’s no control over who buys tickets on NFL Ticket Exchange.”
The temperature on Sunday should be around 45-50 degrees, for curious minds.
Huber added, “That’s through Ticketmaster, the league’s official reseller of tickets. The Packers, coming off back-to-back losses at Lambeau, are 6-3-1 after edging the Giants. Their next three games are against NFC North rivals. The Vikings are 4-6 after losing four of their five games after their Week 6 bye.”
“They are 3-2 on the road, though. That will be followed by a short-week game at the Detroit Lions (6-4) on Thanksgiving. After that, the division-leading Chicago Bears (7-3) will come to Lambeau following their Black Friday game at the Eagles.”
Minnesota must finish the season 6-1 to flirt with a playoff spot.
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