The Minnesota Vikings travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. It's a crucial matchup between two NFC North rivals, and the winner will take the division crown as well as a home playoff game in the wildcard round as the third seed. The Packers handled the Vikings back in November 30-13, but they have struggled to stay consistent and are coming off a crushing defeat against the Arizona Cardinals. The Vikings have won two straight and are arguably coming off their most impressive victory of the season over the New York Giants.
Second year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater leads the Vikings offense and is a dual threat behind center. The Vikings franchise quarterback was selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and he has struggled with turnovers in his first two seasons in the league. Head coach Mike Zimmer has likely spoken to his quarterback about the importance of ball security prior to Sunday's matchup.
Bridgewater has thrown 14 touchdowns to eight interceptions and has over 3,100 passing yards on the year. Zimmer will look to establish a strong ground game for the Vikings, as that will open play action pass calls for Minnesota's offense. Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson is having another incredible season in Minnesota and is currently leading the NFL with 1,418 rushing yards. Peterson is a game-changer for the Vikings and can break loose at any moment for a big gain. Green Bay's defense will have to wrap Peterson up, as he shrugs off arm tackles like paper bags.
The Packers defense has clearly struggled this season and is currently ranked the 19th best defense in the league in terms of yards given up per game. Packers head coach Mike McCarthy will look to star linebacker Clay Matthews to be a leader on the field Sunday night. Matthews has struggled to consistently create a pass rush and only has 5.5 sacks on the year. The Packers star linebacker will look to make his presence felt and will try to find his old form prior to the postseason.
The Packers offense has been considered one of the best in the leagues the past couple seasons, but that has not been the case this season, as they rank 24th in the league in terms of yards per game. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is having another strong season after winning the MVP in 2014, and he has passed for 3,530 yards with 30 touchdowns to seven interceptions. Rodgers struggled against the Cardinals defense last Sunday, and expect him to come out ready to bounce back following the poor performance.
The Packers are looking to repeat as NFC North Champions for the fifth straight season, but the Vikings have clearly improved under second-year coach Zimmer and are looking to win the division for the first time since 2009.
Where To Watch: NBC at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time.
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