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2022 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 1

By Gil Alcaraz IV

NFL Predictions, NFL Picks, Tom Brady, Buccaneers - Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
NFL Predictions, NFL Picks, Tom Brady, Buccaneers - Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images /
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NFL Picks, Minnesota Vikings, Justin Jefferson – Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images /

Green Bay Packers (0-0) at Minnesota Vikings (0-0)

Sunday, September 11, 4:25PM ET

Believe it or not, we may soon see a shift in power in the NFC North. For the last few years, it’s been nearly all the Green Bay Packers, with a smidge of the Minnesota Vikings and Bears. Now, it’s looking like the Vikings could soon leapfrog the Packers for supremacy.

Why? Well, the departure of Mike Zimmer and the arrival of Kevin O’Connell could play a big part in it. The eventual decline of Aaron Rodgers and the loss of Davante Adams will also hamper the Packers a bit, obviously. All of the signs point towards Green Bay taking a step down from the throne and Minnesota swiping the crown.

This game will be the first step forwards that change. The Vikings offense, led by Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, and Justin Jefferson, will give the Packers D everything it can handle and then some. While Rodgers does his usual thing, a lack of a true No. 1 receiver takes its toll. It also helps that the Vikings have one of the league’s top pass-rushing duos to keep the pressure on the aging gunslinger.

As most Vikings-Packers showdowns do, it comes down to the wire. However, a late push by the Vikings’ offense and failure to capitalize in the final minute by Green Bay gives the home team the edge. O’Connell gets his first win in his head-coaching debut, evidencing the bright future that lies ahead for this Minnesota squad.

Prediction: Vikings win 24-20

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