Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings: 5 Bold predictions for Week 16
The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings battle for NFC North control on Monday Night Football. Bold predictions for the huge Week 16 matchup.
Not having met since Week 2, the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings enter their Monday Night Football matchup in Week 16 with a ton hanging in the balance. A win for the Packers clinches the NFC North and keeps them in line to potentially earn a first-round bye in the playoffs but a Vikings victory means the teams have identical 11-4 records with Minnesota still alive to win the division.
In that first meeting, a game won 21-16 by the Packers, neither Kirk Cousins nor Aaron Rodgers was at their best as both committed costly turnovers and failed to produce at a high level. However, running backs Aaron Jones and Dalvin Cook delivered in big ways for their respective teams to keep things close. The latter will not be active on Monday night, though.
Despite the Vikings depleted backfield, they have been coming on strong down the stretch, winning four of their last five and having already clinched at least a playoff berth. But they want a chance to take the NFC North from the Packers, which they need two final wins and two-straight Green Bay losses to end the season in order to earn.
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Can they get the first leg of that out of the way in Week 16, or will Rodgers’ and his team shut the door on them? Here are five bold predictions for the huge Monday Night Football showdown.
5. Jones comes through vs. Vikings again
Despite the fact that the Vikings have displayed a strong run defense overall in the 2019 season, they have been imperfect at times throughout the year. One of those times came in the first game between these two bitter rivals as Aaron Jones had his way with Minnesota, helping spark the Packers to the early-season victory as Rodgers struggled to get going.
In the first meeting, Jones finished the game with 23 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown while also finishing as Green Bay’s second-leading receiver on the day, hauling in four of his six targets for 34 yards — which speaks to a problem still hurting the Pack right now in terms of their lack of weapons in the passing game.
As that problem still persists, Jones (and Jamaal Williams, for that matter) figure to be a big part of the gameplan once again for Green Bay as they aim to lock up the NFC North. With the way that he’s been running, that will prove successful as the UTEP product will find the 100-yard mark again and will also contribute at least 50 receiving yards and a score on the day as well.