The 2-4 Green Bay Packers return home this week for the first time in a calendar month to host the division rival 3-4 Minnesota Vikings. With the Packers on a three-game losing streak, they’ll look to turn things around against an NFC North opponent that’s won two straight. Here are six things to think about heading into Sunday’s game. 

1. Clean Jerseys for Clean QB Play

The Vikings did a good job keeping quarterback Kirk Cousins upright on Monday night against an impressive 49ers pass rush. Cousins wasn’t sacked a single time on 45 dropbacks. Per Pro Football Focus, center Garrett Bradbury is the only offensive lineman in the NFL this season to play 100 or more pass protection snaps without allowing a single pressure.

If the Packers want to come out of Sunday’s game with a win, getting after Cousins is going to be a top priority, which will be easier said than done. Against the Broncos last week, Green Bay registered only one sack for exactly zero yards. The good news, though, is that Rashan Gary’s 29.6% pass rush win rate this season ranks first among all edge rushers (PFF). If Green Bay is going to generate pressure against Cousins, it starts with No. 52. He’s registered at least one quarterback hit in every game this season except the season opener.

The Vikings will be looking to put similar pressure on Jordan Love Sunday. Minnesota’s defense has the highest blitz percentage in the league and Danielle Hunter leads the entire NFL with nine sacks through seven games. For Green Bay to find success on Sunday, it’ll start with protecting QB1. All told, the Packers have done a relatively good job keeping Love’s jersey clean, giving up only 10 sacks in six games. 

2. Aggressive Air Attack

The Vikings lead the NFL in passing touchdowns with 16 so far this season. Justin Jefferson, one of the best receivers in the entire league, put up 571 yards and three scores in five games before heading to injured reserve after Week 5 with a hamstring injury. In his absence, rookie Jordan Addison has emerged as a true weapon for Minnesota with 400 yards and six touchdowns in his young career. The Vikings are also getting contributions from tight end T.J. Hockenson (390 yards, two touchdowns) and receiver K.J. Osborn (261 yards, two scores). 

Even with leading the league in passing touchdowns, this is a Vikings offense ranked only 23rd in the red zone. In 19 trips, Minnesota has scored touchdowns on only 9 occasions (47.4%). On third downs, the Vikings rank 20th in the league, converting only 38.4% of the time. However, Cousins looked impressive on third down against the 49ers in Week 7. He finished the game going 9-of-12 for 182 yards and two touchdowns, good for a 156.3 passer rating. That doesn’t bode well for a Packers secondary that’s been dealt a tough hand all season (more on that later). 

3. One-Score Wonder

The Vikings won 11 one-score games in 2022 (the most in NFL history) to finish the season with a 13-4 record. Call it luck, call it skill. Whatever you call it, it’s hard to replicate that same success season after season. 

Case in point, the Vikings are 3-4 this year. All seven games the team has played have been one-score games, yet they’ve been on the losing side more often than the winning side. Give the team credit for being competitive against some competitors (like the NFC Super Bowl representative Eagles), but the ball hasn’t bounced their way like it did in 2022. 

For what it’s worth, the Packers and Vikings split the series in 2022, with the Vikings winning in Week 1 23-7 and the Packers dominating Week 17 winning 41-17. The division rivals have split the series the last three seasons, with the Packers sweeping 2019 in Matt LaFleur’s first season as head coach. 

4. Secondary Shuffle 

The Packers secondary is hurting (literally) with cornerback Eric Stokes and safety Darnell Savage both heading to injured reserve this week. If Jaire Alexander is unable to play Sunday (he was limited in practice Wednesday and didn’t go Thursday), the secondary is going to be stretched thin. 

Rasul Douglas and Carrington Valentine (who got picked on last week against Denver) are likely the starters on the boundary with Keisean Nixon in the slot, though the Packers did sign both Corey Ballentine (from the practice squad) and Robert Rochell to the active roster this week to round out the unit. Fun fact, I wrote about Rochell as a potential prospect for the Packers in 2021, and you can find that right here. 

The cornerback additions don’t even take into account the loss of Savage at safety. In a prove-it year, he looked pretty solid in moments playing 83% of snaps on defense. Rudy Ford will have to lock it down as Green Bay’s reliable presence on the backend. He leads the team in interceptions (two) and is second on the team in tackles (42) and passes defensed (four). 

While he’s primarily a special teams player, Jonathan Owens is probably the replacement for Savage in the interim. He filled in against Denver and has played 19% of defensive snaps this season, although there are other options in the safety room if Barry wants to try out someone else. Seventh round rookie Anthony Johnson Jr. has only been active for one game this season, but the Packers may want to see what they have in him knowing both Ford and Savage are free agents at the end of the year. 

5. What’s Ya Name, Man?

“Alexander Mattison.” Be honest. You sang that, right? We talked about the Vikings explosive air attack earlier, which leaves Mattison as the forgotten piece on offense. With the departure of Dalvin Cook, Mattison was given the reins to Minnesota’s run game.

Maybe it’s that the Vikings offense is so dynamic through the air they haven’t needed to lean on the ground game. But Minnesota has yet to score a rushing touchdown all season. Mattison leads the running back room with 359 yards on 90 attempts and is averaging 4.0 yards per attempt. He’s picked up 12 first downs with a long of 19. His lack of rushing touchdowns doesn’t mean he isn’t contributing, though. He’s also added 20 receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns in the receiving game, another testament to the Vikings’ pass attack. 

The Vikings have been so efficient in the passing game that they’ve barely needed to run the ball. They’ve eclipsed 100 rushing yards only twice in seven games and are averaging 74.9 yards on the ground per game. If the Vikings want to get their run game going, the Packers are the team to do it against. Green Bay is allowing an average of 143.7 rushing yards per game. 

6. Too Many Turnovers 

The Vikings have turned the ball over 14 times on offense, which is tied for second in the NFL behind only the Las Vegas Raiders (15). Cousins has thrown only five interceptions while the offense has fumbled the ball away nine times. Those nine fumbles lead the league, no other team has more than seven. 

While the Vikings have protected the football a little better the last three weeks, turning the ball over only once in each of those contests, they’ve still had a turnover on offense in every game so far this season. The Packers are somehow in the opposite situation. While they played the first two weeks of the season turnover-free on offense, they’ve now registered at least one turnover in each of their last four games. 

Green Bay is minus-two in turnover differential and Minnesota is minus-five. Both teams are giving the ball up significantly more than they’re taking it away. Playing the cleaner game on Sunday could go a long way towards victory. 

What I’ll be drinking for the game:

This is going to be a fun one. I get to watch the game with my dad for the first time since Week 1, so hopefully the beer we drink will bring us some good luck to go along with our good vibes. We’ll be sharing Stitchdown from Untitled Art, a barrel-aged imperial stout. And afterwards, I get to take my kiddo trick-or-treating for his first time. Hopefully the Packers sneak out of Lambeau with a W to cap off the perfect fall Sunday. Cheers, and Go Pack Go!