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
Notes
Green Bay is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Green Bay’s last 12 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Green Bay’s last 5 games at home.
Green Bay is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games at home.
Green Bay 5-0-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Green Bay’s last 16 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Green Bay’s last 8 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Green Bay 5-0-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 8 games when playing on the road against Green Bay.
Minnesota is 9-0 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Green Bay is 8-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Remarkably, Green Bay is winless (0-3) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 8-2 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Since the start of last season, Green Bay is 8-3 SU against NFC North opponents, while Minnesota is 5-6 SU against divisional foes.
The Green Bay ground attack is ranked 10th in the league, while the Minnesota rush defense is only ranked 18th. The Vikings’ rushing game is ranked fifth, compared to the 21st-ranked run defense of the Packers.
