Packers have their first home game in a month as Vikings visit Lambeau Field
VARIOUS SOURCES
MINNESOTA (3-4) at GREEN BAY (2-4)
DAY / TIME / TV: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, FOX
SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 65-57-3
LAST MEETING: Packers beat Vikings 41-17 on Jan. 1 at Lambeau Field.
LAST WEEK: Vikings beat 49ers 22-17 at home on Monday; Packers lost 19-17 at Denver on Sunday.
VIKINGS OFFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (30), PASS (3), SCORING (18)
VIKINGS DEFENSE: OVERALL (15), RUSH (15), PASS (17), SCORING (20)
PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (26), RUSH (24), PASS (23), SCORING (17)
PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (30), PASS (8), SCORING (21)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Vikings minus-5; Packers minus-2
Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings are coming off the type of victory that could change the course of their season.
It’s the type of win the Green Bay Packers could desperately use right now.
The Vikings (3-4) will try to build off the momentum of a Monday night triumph over the San Francisco 49ers and the Packers (2-4) will attempt to snap a three-game skid when these two NFC North foes face off Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Although these teams have combined to win 11 of the last 12 NFC North titles, both are below .500 this season. The Vikings at least have given themselves reason for hope by winning their last two games and handing San Francisco just its second loss of the season.
“You understand that what you do in the prior weeks means nothing moving forward,” Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks said. “Every week you’ve got to bring the same energy, the same chip on your shoulder.”
The Packers would like to put these last few weeks behind them. Their slump includes narrow road defeats at Las Vegas and Denver, who both have losing records.
“These guys aren’t afraid of a challenge, and right now we have a challenge,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “And I think going through some adversity, as long as you come out the other side of it, can be a positive thing if channeled and harnessed the right way and if you respond the right way. And so, that’s the expectation I have for our football team.”
While the Packers try to respond to adversity, the Vikings must prove they can handle their recent prosperity and earn a third straight win.
“We’ve got to show we’re a mature football team that after this can get right back to work and get the next one,” Cousins said after the 49ers game.
FINALLY HOME AGAIN
Sunday will mark the Packers’ first home game in over a month. They haven’t played at Lambeau Field since a 34-20 loss to the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Sept. 28.
Green Bay followed the Lions game with a 17-13 loss at Las Vegas, then had a week off before falling 19-17 at Denver.
ON TARGET
The absence of Jefferson has elevated the role for rookie Jordan Addison and the other wide receivers, but tight end T.J. Hockenson has become an even more vital target for Cousins. He had season highs in targets (12), receptions (11) and yards (86) against the 49ers and also provided valuable blocking assistance at times.
During Addison’s 60-yard touchdown catch late in the second quarter, Hockenson had to handle Bosa one-on-one to give Cousins enough time to throw it.
“He played a really, really strong game and quite honestly, that’s what I expect out of T.J. with what he’s done ever since he got here,” O’Connell said.
BLITZING VIKINGS
The Packers have emphasized the importance of handling the Vikings’ frequent blitzes. Minnesota has blitzed the most often of any NFL defense, according to Sportradar. “I haven’t really faced a defense like Minnesota the way they run it,” Packers quarterback Jordan Love said. “It’s something you’ve got to have a good plan for it going into it.” Green Bay’s offensive line has done a better job of pass protection than run blocking this season. The Packers didn’t allow a sack against the Broncos.
SLOW-STARTING PACKERS
The Packers have been outscored 63-6 in the first half of their last four game and haven’t scored a first-half touchdown in any of them. Green Bay ranks last in the league in first-half points per game (4.3) but leads the NFL in second-half points per game (17.3).
TURNOVER TALK
Minnesota struggles to take care of the football, while Green Bay has had trouble forcing turnovers. The Vikings have committed 14 turnovers this season to match the Cleveland Browns for the second-highest total of any team, behind only Las Vegas (15). The Packers have just five takeaways to match the lowest output for any team.
VIKINGS PLAYER TO WATCH
WR Jordan Addison, a rookie first-round pick from Southern California, has stepped up his performance while the Vikings are missing injured All-Pro wideout Justin Jefferson. Addison has four touchdown catches over his past three games and reached the end zone twice in the Vikings’ Monday night victory over the 49ers.
PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH
OLB Rashan Gary has a team-high 4½ sacks. Earlier in the season, Gary had three sacks to help spark a come-from-behind victory over the New Orleans Saints.
KEY MATCHUP
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins vs. Packers pass defense. Cousins threw for a season-high 378 yards against the 49ers and has five touchdown passes without an interception over his past three games. He has kept the Vikings passing attack humming even without Jefferson. Cousins will be facing a Packers secondary that’s dealing with injuries. CB Jaire Alexander has missed three of Green Bay’s past four games because of a back issue. The Packers placed CB Eric Stokes (hamstring) and S Darnell Savage (calf) on injured reserve this week.
INJURY REPORT
**FRIDAY’S REPORT: MINNESOTA VIKINGS at GREEN BAY PACKERS** — MINNESOTA: OUT: LB Brian Asamoah (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: G Ezra Cleveland (foot), WR Jalen Nailor (hamstring), RB Kene Nwangwu (illness). FULL: TE T.J. Hockenson (foot). GREEN BAY: QUESTIONABLE: CB Jaire Alexander (back), OLB De’Vondre Campbell (ankle), TE Luke Musgrave (ankle), C Josh Myers (ankle). LIMITED: G Elgton Jenkins (knee), RB Aaron Jones (hamstring), OT Yosh Nijman (knee). FULL: S Zayne Anderson (hamstring), WR Christian Watson (knee), DT Devonte Wyatt (knee), OLB Preston Smith (illness).
SERIES NOTES
The Vikings and Packers have split their regular-season matchups each of the past three seasons. The home team has won each of the past four meetings in this series. The Vikings beat the Packers 23-7 in their season opener last season before falling 41-17 at Lambeau Field on New Year’s Day. Cousins committed four turnovers and Green Bay’s Keisean Nixon scored on a 105-yard kickoff return in that 41-17 game.
STATS AND STUFF
The Vikings have converted 10 of their 11 attempts on either third-and-1 or fourth-and-1. That’s tied with the Packers for the highest such rate (90.9 percent) in the NFL… Cousins attempted 45 passes against San Francisco without a sack, just the second player in the league this season to throw that many times without being sacked to join Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa… Hockenson has 47 receptions, the second most behind Kansas City’s Travis Kelce among NFL tight ends… Vikings OLB Danielle Hunter leads the NFL with nine sacks… The Packers have been outscored 63-6 in the first half of their past four games. They haven’t scored a first-half touchdown in any of those games… The Packers rank last in the NFL in first-half points per game (4.3), but lead the league in second-half points per game (17.3)… This marks the Packers first home game in more than a month. Their most recent game at Lambeau Field was a 34-20 loss to the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Sept. 28… Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks threw a 14-yard completion to Aaron Jones in the Broncos game. Wicks is the first Packers rookie non-quarterback to complete a pass since RB Willard Harrell did it in 1975, according to the Elias Sports Bureau… The Packers have produced only five takeaways, matching the lowest total for any NFL team this season. The Vikings have committed 14 turnovers, one behind the Las Vegas Raiders for the most in the league… The Vikings are 13-6 against the NFC North since the beginning of the 2020 season, which is tied for the third-best record by any NFL team against its division — only the Chiefs (17-3) and Bills (16-5) have been better. The Vikings are tied with the Cowboys and Titans… Each of the Vikings' seven games this season have been decided by one possession (eight or fewer points). It is the longest such streak to begin a season in franchise history and tied for the second longest at any point in a single season (longest was 12 games in 2021)… Kirk Cousins has passed for 300 or more yards in four games this season, most in the NFL. The Vikings' single-season record for 300-yard games is six, set by Warren Moon in 1994 and matched by Daunte Culpepper (2004), Brett Favre (2009) and Cousins (2021)… Green Bay leads the league with 32 points scored in the opening offensive drive of second halves this season (Bills and Chiefs are second with 24). The Packers had 27 points in such drives all of last season… Jayden Reed caught the third touchdown pass of his career against Denver in his sixth NFL game. The last Packer with three touchdown receptions through his first six career games was Greg Jennings in 2006 — the last Packer with more was James Lofton (4 in 1978)… Jordan Addison's six receiving touchdowns are tied with Randy Moss for the most by a Vikings rookie in their first seven career games all-time. No Viking has ever had seven touchdown catches in their first eight games with the team (rookie or otherwise).
WEEK 8 NFL SCHEDULE
ALL TIMES CENTRAL TIME ZONE
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18, Buffalo Bills 24
Sunday, October 29
Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers, 12:00 p.m., FOX
New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts, 12:00 p.m., FOX
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, 12:00 p.m., CBS
New York Jets at New York Giants, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks, 3:05 p.m., FOX
Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals, 3:25 p.m., CBS
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, 3:25 p.m., CBS
Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers, 3:25 p.m., CBS
Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers, 7:20 p.m., NBC*
Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions, 7:15 p.m., ESPN
