Green Bay Packers (11-4) @ Minnesota Vikings (13-2)
Sunday, December 29, 4:25 PM ET (Game FLEXED, previously scheduled for 1:00 PM ET)
In a week that is absolutely loaded with Games of the Week, this might be the Game of the Week’s “Game of the Week”.
Packers vs. Vikings is an NFL tale as old as time, and in this particular matchup, we could have a couple of coaches fighting it out for NFL Coach of the Year. What Kevin O’Connell has done in Minnesota this season with Sam Darnold as his starting quarterback is nothing short of remarkable. Darnold has made more money than probably any other quarterback in the NFL this season with a whopping 32 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 105.7. Those are the best marks of his career by a million miles.
And O’Connell is the one pulling the strings. He has the Vikings firmly in the mix for the #1 overall seed in the NFC if they can get a win this coming weekend, but they are going to have to deal with the Green Bay Packers.
The Green Bay Packers have been one of the most well-rounded teams in the league all season long and there’s a reason why the 13-2 Vikings are just 1.5-point favorites at home in the early betting lines. This game is a toss-up if we’ve ever seen one.
And the fireworks could be going off early, even for a couple of defenses that have been aggressive and know how to create takeaways. Actually, that could come into play with a couple of QBs that are willing to put the ball in harm’s way a little bit.
Which group of offensive skill players will take over in this one? Playing in Minnesota, the elements won’t be a factor. This is a matchup of two former Mike/Kyle Shanahan disciples that should have fantasy football managers very happy, no matter what the outcome.
Prediction: Vikings win 34-33