The Minnesota Vikings take on the Green Bay Packers in Week 12 and experts think the purple and gold have a good shot of being victorious in the contest.
It is hard to believe that this is the 117th meeting between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, but these two teams have been familiar foes for many, many years. The green and gold lead the series all-time at 60–53–3, but the fact it is this close shows how competitive it really is.
For the second week in a row, the Vikings return to prime time on Sunday night. This time, Minnesota will be the hosts at U.S. Bank Stadium with hopes of erasing a struggling performance against the Bears from their minds.
Experts have made their picks as to who they think will win this game. Let’s take a look at some of the most prominent sites around the internet and who they believe will win on Sunday, Nov. 25.
Picking the Minnesota Vikings
- Bleacher Report – Consensus: “The Packers have lost every game they’ve played away from Lambeau this year.” (26-24)
- CBS Sports – Pete Prisco: “The Packers are banged up on the defensive front, which might show up here.” (21-20)
- CBS Sports: Pete Prisco, Jason LaCanfora, Will Brinson, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg
- NFL.com -Elliott Harrison: “The offense has been all the talk in Green Bay. The defense will have its hands full, though, against these Vikings, who hit a rhythm in the loss to the Bears when it was too late.” (30-27)
- NFL Live: John, Darren
- SBNation: RVB, Stephen White, Charles McDonald, Adam Stites, Bud Elliott
- Sporting News – Vinnie Iyer: “Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook will rebound to give Minnesota its first SNF win in three tries this season to save its wild-card playoff push.” (31-24)
- USA Today: Jarrett Bell (33-27), Nate Davis (31-27), Mike Jones (30-27), Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz (26-17), Lorenzo Reyes (26-25)
The Vikings are 3-2 at U.S. Bank Stadium so far this season, which is okay…but the real thing here is that the Packers are 0-5 on the road this year. The home crowd should play a big factor in this game and Minnesota should be hungry to put that loss last week in the past and move ahead with their playoff window looking tough and a rough schedule ahead.
Picking the Green Bay Packers
- CBS Sports – Ryan Wilson: “Lose this game and that’s a wrap on the 2018 season for the Packers.” (30-31)
- CBS Sports: John Breech
- SBNation: Geoff Schwartz, Christian D’Andrea
- Sporting News – David Steele: “The loser will start to lose sight of playoff contention entering December, so there’s plenty on the line.” (22-24)
You should never count Aaron Rodgers out of anything. This season, he has thrown 19 touchdowns compared to only one interception this year. Add in that Green Bay is third in sacks this year going up against a struggling offensive line and you have a formula that will test the Vikings.
Unlike Ryan Wilson (who once again picked both teams), I’ll pick one team to win: the Vikings. Expect to see a much better Minnesota offense and the return of the pass rush to keep the Packers from coming out on top.
Who do you have winning the Week 12 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football? Let us know your pick in the comments section!