It’s the end of the regular season and Sunday Night Football caps it off with the battle for the NFC North. The Minnesota Vikings (10-5) travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers (10-5). The winner gets the title and to host a wild card game next week against the Seattle Seahawks. The loser travels to Washington to take on the Redskins. I don’t see a problem for either team, either way.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for preview information.
First up here’s my pick from The FAQ.
Minnesota at Green Bay (-3)
Of all the games with meaning in the final week of the season, this one has the most weight. The winner is the AFC North champion and the loser hits the road as the wild card, playing the Redskins. So honestly there is no real “loser” here at all. Packers 27, Vikings 20
And here’s my listing for each team in this week’s Power Rankings.
6. Green Bay Packers – (10-5) The loss to the Cardinals was as bad as it gets for the Packers. It showed them that, as good as they are, there’s a large gap between them and the top two teams in the NFC. Last week: No. 3
8. Minnesota Vikings – (10-5) The Vikings have a chance to stick the Packers with the wild card spot with a win Sunday. The problem is the last time these two teams met Green Bay spanked them 30-13. Last week: No. 9
And finally here’s our own GMS Preview.
Jerick McKinnon and the Minnesota Vikings travel to go up against Eddie Lacy and the Green Bay Packers in the final game of the regular season. This game will feature the NFL’s top rusher, Adrian Peterson (1,418 yards, 10 TDs). Winners of three of its last four, Green Bay will look to continue its recent success this week. The game will begin Sunday, Jan 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBC.
With a score of 30-13, the Packers picked up a victory against the Vikings in Week 11. Green Bay has won three straight against the Vikings, dating back to the 2014 season. James Jones had a big performance in the last game, totaling six catches for 109 yards and one TD. Kyle Rudolph had a great outing for Minnesota, registering six catches for 106 yards and one TD.
The Packers, a three-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Minnesota visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 48 points.
Heading into Week 17 of league action, the Packers are 10-5 Straight Up (SU) and 9-6 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Green Bay is 3-2 for both SU and ATS. A big source of success for the Packers this season is the running game, where they average 4.7 yards per carry at home. Green Bay’s top-five scoring defense allows 16.7 points per home game. Don’t expect Minnesota to have much success throwing the ball against the Packers. The Vikings average 189.1 yards per game through the air, 31st in the NFL. A vital part of the game will be if the Packers can attack Minnesota’s offensive line, which currently ranks 29th in the league in sacks with 3.4 per road game.
Moving to the road team, the Vikings have 10-5 SU and 12-3 ATS records this season. In the previous five games, Minnesota has a record of 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS. As of late, the Vikings have found success on offense. During the last five games, they averaged 26 PPG, above their 23.0 PPG season average. Minnesota has found a lot of success on the ground. Its 137.3 rushing yards per game ranks fifth in the NFL. Switching gears to the Minnesota defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Packers. The Vikings could have a favorable matchup, because Green Bay’s passing game has not been reliable this year. The Packers rank 26th in the league with 215.3 passing yards per game. The Vikings can take advantage of Green Bay’s susceptibility to starting the second half slowly. They allow an average of 6.1 points during the third quarter, ranking 28th in the NFL. Special teams provide a spark for Minnesota. They average the most return yards in the NFL with 106.7.
Predictions: SU Winner – Min, ATS Winner – Min, O/U – Under
The game is on NBC at 8:20 p.m. Watch it with me.
