The 7-8 Packers, still in the thick of the NFC playoff picture, head to Minnesota this weekend to face off against the 7-8 Vikings on New Year’s Eve. It’s the first time Green Bay has played on three holidays in the regular season. Here are six things to keep in mind heading into the NFC North clash on Sunday Night Football.  

1. A lot to Love

In the second half of the season, Jordan Love has finally put the debate to rest. Yes, he is a franchise quarterback. He’s posted a rating over 108.0 in five of his last six games, throwing 13 touchdowns with only one interception in that span. 

On the season, Love has thrown for 3,587 yards with 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, giving him a rating of 91.8. Those 27 touchdowns are tied for third in the NFL behind only Dak Prescott (30) and Brock Purdy (29). His 3,587 yards rank 13th in the league. 

What’s impressive about Love’s numbers is the company he’s keeping. Both Prescott and Purdy have 1,000-yard receivers on their teams (and Purdy arguably has a small unit of Avengers on offense). Love is spreading the ball around to a ton of different players, with no receiver posting over 650 receiving yards. Still, Love is getting significant contributions from his weapons, and the offense has been incredibly productive without names like Aaron Jones, Christian Watson, and Jayden Reed in the lineup. 

While Watson hasn’t practiced yet this week with his hamstring injury, Reed returned to action in a limited capacity. It’s also worth noting that rookie tight end Luke Musgrave has been designated to return from injured reserve and has returned to practice this week, too. It’s unclear if he’ll be available on Sunday, but the fact that he’s practicing is significant. Having both Musgrave and Tucker Kraft on the field at the same time would be electric in Head Coach Matt LaFleur’s two tight end sets. 

2. Breathing Life into the Backfield 

Speaking of Jones, he had a season-best performance against the Panthers in Week 16 and became the first 100-yard rusher for the Packers all season (yes, in Week 16). Against Carolina, Jones rushed 21 times for 127 yards, giving him an average of 6.0 yards per carry. 

Those numbers are coming at a good time, too. Per the dope sheet, Jones has four games with 100-plus scrimmage yards against the Vikings dating back to 2019, which is second in the NFL behind only Davante Adams with five. Those four games are two more than any other running back in the league has in that span against Minnesota. 

Running back AJ Dillon also saw some action against the Panthers last week and punched into the end zone for only his second touchdown of the season. With 809 scrimmage yards, he still leads the rest of the offense by almost 100 yards (Reed is second with 711 yards). 

The Vikings have a pretty stout run defense and are giving up only 95.4 yards on the ground per game. The unit ranks ninth in the league in yards (1,431) and 10th in touchdowns (11) on the season. They also rank fifth when it comes to yards per attempt, allowing only 3.7 yards per carry. 

3. Late Season Skid

The Vikings have lost four of their last five games, with their lone victory coming 3-0 against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. That said, all four of Minnesota’s losses have been by one score, losing by one point to the Broncos, two points to the Bears, three points to the Bengals, and six points to the Lions. 

This all comes after a five-game winning streak for the Vikings that put them in the thick of the Wild Card race in the NFC. The Packers have gone 3-2 in that same five-game stretch to cement their own status in the Wild Card hunt, but suffered a double-digit loss to the Buccaneers along the way.

The Vikings are averaging 16.2 points per game over their last five-game stretch (thanks largely to the clunker against the Raiders), while the Packers are averaging 10 full points more at 26.2 points per game in that same span. On the flip side of that, Minnesota’s defense is allowing only 18 points per game on average whereas Green Bay’s defense is giving up 23.8 points per game. 

Earlier this season, the Vikings beat the Packers 24-10 at Lambeau Field. Per the dope sheet, the Packers have scored 30-plus points in two of their last three games in Minnesota. A shootout leans in Green Bay’s favor given recent trends, but relying on the Packers defense for anything as of late is a tough sell. 

4. Splitting the Series 

Since we’re already talking about trends in prior matchups, let’s look at the Packers and Vikings series as a whole. In LaFleur’s first season as head coach, he swept the Vikings 2-0. Since then, the Packers and Vikings have split the series each season. 

In both 2021 and 2022, the Packers lost the first matchup and came back to win the second game in blowout fashion. (We can hope that trend continues in 2023). In 2021, the Vikings narrowly beat the Packers 34-31 in Week 11 before the Packers came back in Week 17 to win 37-10. In 2022, the Vikings dominated the season opener and won 23-7 before the Packers came back in Week 17 (again) to win 41-17. 

This season, the Packers are 2-5 on the road while the Vikings are 2-5 at home. It’s the third straight season the Packers and Vikings are playing in Week 17. It’s also the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Packers will close out the season with back-to-back NFC North matchups. 

5. Who’s at QB?

In Week 8, Kirk Cousins went 23-of-31 for 274 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay’s defense, giving him a rating of 122.2. During the game, he suffered a torn achilles and was lost for the season, but his performance was enough to give the Vikings the division win. Since the injury, though, Minnesota has looked for a replacement at the quarterback position. 

Initially, Joshua Dobbs looked like the answer and led the Vikings to two straight victories against the Falcons and Saints before coming down to earth in losses against the Broncos and Bears. Dobbs was benched against the Raiders with Nick Mullens replacing him, but now the quarterback spot is up in the air once again as Head Coach Kevin O’Connell has yet to name a starter for Week 17. 

While Mullens threw for over 400 yards against the Lions in Week 16, he also threw four interceptions. He has six interceptions in his last two games which forced O’Connell to look in a different direction, namely at rookie quarterback Jaren Hall. Hall replaced Cousins briefly at the end of the game in Week 8 but hasn’t had the opportunity to start yet. He’ll make his first career start against the Packers in Week 17. 

In spot duty this season, Hall has thrown for 101 yards with a long of 47 and has taken one sack. The former fifth-round pick out of BYU ended his collegiate career with 6,174 passing yards, 52 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with a completion percentage of 65.2%. He also had 800 rushing yards and nine touchdowns with his legs.

6. Just Cover Jefferson 

Whoever’s under center for the Vikings on Sunday night, they’ll benefit from having Justin Jefferson back in the lineup. Despite only playing in eight games, Jefferson still ranks third on the team in receiving yards with 823. Against the Lions last week, Jefferson hauled in six receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown, giving him a season-best average of 23.5 yards per catch. It’s the fourth time this year Jefferson has surpassed 140 receiving yards. 

The Vikings did suffer a significant blow this week with T.J. Hockenson tearing both his ACL and MCL. He led the team with 95 receptions and 960 receiving yards, which was his career-high. What’s more, it’s possible (maybe even likely) that Minnesota won’t have rookie receiver Jordan Addison in the lineup, either. He leads the team with nine touchdowns and has 826 receiving yards, but he suffered an ankle injury against the Lions and has been unable to practice this week. 

While cornerback Jaire Alexander is unable to play this week as he serves his one-game suspension, the Packers will have to rely on Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine to try to minimize Jefferson’s impact. He was on injured reserve when the Packers and Vikings met earlier this season, so this’ll be the first time he’ll see Green Bay this year. Jefferson has eclipsed 1,400 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons and is still on pace for over 1,000 this year, despite missing seven games. If there’s one player Joe Barry’s defense needs to account for, it’s No. 18 (I know, I know). 

What I’ll be drinking for the game: 

Anything New Belgium is always a must-grab for me, especially if it’s a new Voodoo Ranger. This week I stumbled across Cryo Ranger, so that immediately went into the cart. Even though the Vikings play indoors, it still feels like a good, frosty vibe for a December football game between NFC North rivals.