The Minnesota Vikings have had a surprising start by winning their first three games, but they could face their toughest challenge to date when they visit the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon.
The Packers lost their season opener to the Philadelphia Eagles and starting quarterback Jordan Love in the process. But Green Bay rebounded by winning both starts under backup signal caller Malik Willis.
With two teams surprising national pundits in the first three weeks, it creates an important showdown that could go a long way in balancing the power in a competitive NFC North. In this article, we’ll make three bold predictions and see whether the Vikings can come out of Lambeau Field with a win.
Minnesota Vikings Predictions for Week 4 vs. the Green Bay Packers
1. Aaron Jones will make a Lambeau Leap
There may not be any animosity between Jones and the Packers, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. But it doesn’t mean that Jones will struggle to find success against his former team.
Jones has been everything the Vikings wanted when signing him to a one-year, $7 million contract this offseason and has jump-started Minnesota’s ground game.
With a 64.3 percent success rate – defined by Pro Football Reference as a player’s ability to get 40 percent of yards on first down, 60 percent of yards on second down, and 100 percent of yards on third down – Jones has done his job on the ground, but he’s also done work as a receiver, averaging 7.67 yards per route run on screen concepts this season.
A dual threat in O’Connell’s offense, Jones has been a critical piece to an offense that has made life easier for Sam Darnold. With multiple ways to score, Jones’ declaration of performing a Lambeau Leap should become a reality and give him the “cool side-by-side” piece he’s been thinking about.
2. Andrew Van Ginkel will have a pick-six
It’s bold predicting two touchdowns in the same game (ask anyone who has done a parlay before), but while Jones could visit the end zone, so could Van Ginkel.
In three weeks, Van Ginkel has shown a knack for jumping all over screens. He returned a Daniel Jones screen to the house in Week 1 and almost had a similar play against Deebo Samuel late in a Week 2 victory.
While the Houston Texans had other issues to deal with in Week 3, the Packers could fall into Van Ginkel’s trap based on what Brian Flores said about Matt LaFleur’s offense earlier this week.
“I don’t think it’s being talked about enough what’s going on over there with Malik Willis. For Matt to go in his bag and be a West Coast guy, then turn around, and he’s got this whole zone-read RPO counter read… impressive.”
While the likelihood of Jordan Love’s return from a knee injury is increasing leading up to the game, the same number of RPOs and screens could be in effect, whether it's Willis or Love on Sunday. This could give Van Ginkel a chance for a big play and take one to the house.
3. Justin Jefferson will have his best game of the season
While the Vikings and Packers is a popcorn-worthy matchup, the battle between Justin Jefferson and Jaire Alexander is also something everyone will be watching.
Jefferson and Alexander have sparred with each other over the years and Alexander has thrived against Jefferson when in man coverage.
While it has something to do with the Packers giving Alexander a safety over his shoulder at all times, Jefferson also admitted the matchup means more to Alexander than it does to him.
“I don’t really care about the matchup, honestly. I feel like he cares more than I do. But it is what it is. That’s every team. It’s no nick-nack at Jaire; that’s every team in how they scheme against me and how they try to play me.
It doesn’t matter if I’m going up against Jaire or the worst corner in the league. It doesn’t matter. We have a game plan, a scheme, and a plan to go out there and execute no matter who’s guarding me.”
Packers fans have responded by posting a photo of Jefferson tossing his helmet during a 2022 loss at Lambeau Field, but a lot has changed since Alexander hit The Griddy the last time the two squared off.
Jordan Addison could return from an ankle injury on Sunday and the addition of Jones in the backfield gives the Packers something else to think about.
Alexander could bottle up Jefferson again but it just leaves other players to make an impact on offense. If that happens too much, Jefferson could get his opportunities and have his biggest game to date.
Prediction: Vikings win 24-21