Vikings vs. Packers: a complete history in two charts
The Indianapolis Colts, still missing star quarterback Andrew Luck and with backup Matt Hasselbeck doubtful, still have a faint whiff of hope in the AFC South going into their season finale against the Tennessee Titans.
Though Adrian Peterson did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday, that appears to be precautionary as he was working fully on Friday. Winners of three of its last four, Green Bay will look to continue its recent success this week.
Image: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Both teams have secured playoff sports but Minnesota aims to dethrone the Packers, who have won the division each of the last four years. Regardless, the victor on Sunday will take the NFC North title, and a higher seed for the playoffs.
“We were efficient with our play style and our execution”, McCarthy said.
That’s something the Packers (10-5) are used to doing. Seattle can still get the fifth seed with a win and a Green Bay win, and that’s it for them. He’s completing 60.4% of his passes for over 3,500 yards, with a 93.7 QB rating, but a still fantastic 30 touchdown to 7 interception ratio. They’re looking for their first NFC North crown since 2009. Rodgers went on to say it’s been a unusual year, losing his top weapon in Jordy Nelson, an odd season schedule, unusual injury variables, plenty of adversity. They split the two wild-card games. Before those two games, they lost 23-20 at Arizona, the same team that blew out the Packers last weekend, 38-8.
The underdog visitors have little in the way of pressure on their shoulders with a play-off berth assured and a relatively relaxed approach could see Bridgewater make hist first start at Lambeau Field a triumphant one.
“I definitely think I tried to do entirely too much”, Munnerlyn said of his 2014 season.
Forget that. My prime match up would result from a Packers’ win and a Seattle loss.
“As far as the guys they got and what they like to do – as a receiver, you want to be one-on-one”, Vikings wide receiver Steffon Diggs said. This is a big game, but it’s a game that’s attractive because you’ve got two excellent football teams fighting to advance their seed in the playoffs. Peterson was held to 45 yards on 13 carries, and Matthews said it was a function of the defense being aggressive and limiting Peterson on the edge. He will surely have at least ten more carriers this time around. Adding to that focus, Lacy has had three 100 yard games in the past month and will look to rumble towards another in what will surely be a colder game in Green Bay. “But they seem to play really well in those prime time games at night at Lambeau Field”. Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari is questionable with an ankle injury. Fullback John Kuhn, a trusted blocker, has been playing more of late.
Philadelphia (6-9) at New York Giants (6-9), 11 a.m.
Should Seattle and Green Bay win, Green Bay and Minnesota would play again in the first round with Minnesota as the No. 6 seed.
Over 55 years and 110 matchups, plenty of memorable games have been played between these border-state teams.
For as clutch as Jarius Wright has been for the Vikings on 3rd down this season, it’s unusual that he’s played 15 games without finding the end zone. In 1991, Lindy Infante’s terrible 4-12 team was beaten by the Vikings, Bears and Lions, but remember between 1977 and 2001, the NFC Central was a five team division with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If you want to claim the organization is too prideful or that not trying to win goes against the Packers’ mythos, you’d probably be correct – but that would also be shortsighted.