With a heartbreaking last-second 19-17 loss to the Chicago Bears last Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings dropped to 4-6 on the season, thus dropping out of the top 10 in the overall NFC standings into the No. 11 slot.
Now three games back of the seventh-seeded San Francisco 49ers (7-4) in the win column, the Vikes head into their Week 12 matchup with the rival Green Bay Packers basically facing a must-win situation. And to get that much-needed victory, they'll have to pull off a feat they haven't accomplished in more than three decades: Win at Lambeau Field for the third consecutive year.
The last time Minnesota took three in a row over Green Bay on the road was from 1991 to 1993. And the time before that was when the Vikings were regular Super Bowl contenders in the 1970s, although it certainly needs to be noted that they took seven straight over the Packers at Lambeau from 1971 to 1977.
Still, it's obviously a challenge to win three in a row in that environment. That said, however, it hasn't stopped the Vikes from taking the last two, even if they nearly had a catastrophic meltdown a season ago, taking a 28-0 lead before having to hang on late for a 31-29 victory. But a win is a win, and Minnesota, as mentioned, undoubtedly needs one on Sunday.
The Vikings need J.J. McCarthy to continue playing his best football on the road
The good news is that Kevin O'Connell & Co. are facing a Packers team that hasn't played its best football in recent weeks. After taking consecutive losses to the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay bounced back last week but needed a fourth-quarter comeback to secure a 27-20 victory over the two-win New York Giants.
The Packers' offense has been a bit stagnant lately, and Josh Jacobs not being at 100 percent will certainly help a Minnesota defense that surrendered 140 rushing yards to the Bears last week.
But it's no secret that most will be focused on how J.J. McCarthy fares against a Green Bay defense that has allowed the sixth-fewest total yards (292.1) and the seventh-fewest points (19.1) per game this season.
McCarthy has struggled something fierce with his accuracy throughout the season, completing just 52.9 percent of his passes, and has already thrown eight interceptions in his five starts. If he can get comfortable early, the way he did against the Lions a few weeks back, that would obviously be beneficial, but Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary, and the rest of the Packers' fierce defensive line may not let that happen, as the Vikings' offensive line ranks 22nd in the NFL in pass block win rate.
That said, however, McCarthy has oddly been far better on the road than he has at home.
In his three starts at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Michigan alum has gone 0-3, completing 49.5 percent of his passes, averaging 185.3 yards per game, and throwing two touchdowns against six interceptions to earn a woeful passer rating of 48.4.
But in his two starts on the road, McCarthy has gone 2-0, completed a combined 60.0 percent of his passes, while throwing for exactly 143 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in each win to earn a far more respectable 89.7 passer rating. The 22-year-old also added a rushing score in each game. That's the McCarthy the Vikings will need to show up on Sunday to pick up their third straight win at Lambeau and keep their fading playoff hopes alive.