Week 16 Many Gophers and their teams are in position to

Teams in the NFC North have watched how the Green Bay Packers have controlled the NFC North the last five seasons. Packers seeking fifth straight division crown…. And the game was at TCF Bank Stadium. Even with a victory, though, the Seattle Seahawks playoff scenarios won’t be settled until the results of the Packers vs. Vikings game are in.

Sunday, the stakes are higher and more transparent. The Cardinals, who the point spread is now favoring at -6.5, have made it clear they won’t be taking things lightly, playing all of their starters despite earning the second overall seed in the NFC and a first round bye.

“I’m sure they’ll play good, there’s no doubt about that”, Zimmer said. So I think it’s just the old adage of, you know, the division goes through Green Bay.

All that matters in the National Football League is that you peak at the right time and that’s exactly what the Cardinals are doing.

The sense of the Packers’ vulnerability is similar to the week leading up to the first meeting. Seattle and Minnesota would then be tied with a 10-6 record, but Seattle would be the No. 5 seed and receive the tie-breaker due to their head-to-head win in Week 13.

The Minnesota Vikings had all afternoon to watch their competitors play, with the realistic possibility that their spot in the postseason would be secured by the time they took the field. They can’t afford to forget that they were up when the Packers were down heading into their first regular season showdown, too, and the Packers clipped them.

Mike McCarthy showed no concern with his teams ability to bounce back from Sunday’s loss.

SACK CITY: The stars aligned for the onslaught of sacks and near-sacks the Cardinals put on the Packers. And his two starting tackles are banged up. If the Packers lose, they become the 5 seed and play the Redskins, so it doesn’t matter what happens in the game. “Just really wanted to get in there and get the team focused on the Vikings”.

So don’t expect to see any souvenirs around Winter Park this week. Seattle would play at Washington.

It helps that Sunday night’s game marked the team’s return to full strength as linebacker Anthony Barr, free safety Harrison Smith and nose tackle Linval Joseph all returned from injuries. In the receiving end, Malcolm Floyd had 111 yards in six receptions while David Johnson added 88 yards in six catches.

When you took over the play-calling responsibilities we were all ecstatic. “After we got beat by Seattle and the Green Bay game, the mentality of our team has changed a little bit for the better in my opinion”. They now know that a win seems them clinch the division, with anything less likely letting in the Colts who face the Tennessee Titans. “We don’t want to set a pattern of different behavior”.

Green Bay then lost right tackle Bryan Bulaga to a reinjured ankle in the third quarter. The Minnesota Vikings ground game is averaging 137.3 yards per contest, and Adrian Peterson leads the way with 1,418 yards and 10 touchdowns.

JETS (10-5): In order to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2010, the Jets will need to beat former coach Rex Ryan on the road in Buffalo. They look especially beatable in the secondary, and the offensive line is struggling to keep Tom Brady upright – a key to success for New England. He rushes for 112 yards but the Vikings lose 23-16.