Both the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings are 7-8 entering their Week 17 showdown on Sunday night. The outcome of this game determines each team’s postseason chances, with the loser being eliminated. If the winner also wins their Week 18 contest, they will have a better than 90% probability of winning a wild card place.
The Vikings, for their part, will start their two top wide outs to back up 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall at quarterback. Despite recent concerns that rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison might not play due to a damaged ankle, he will play with standout wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Meanwhile, Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes, the Packers’ top two cornerbacks, will be out.
The Packers will be without linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and wide receiver Christian Watson in addition to their starting cornerbacks. In addition, rookie wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks will be a game-time decision due to a chest injury suffered last week against the Carolina Panthers.
With so many key players out, it will be critical for other players to stand up. These five guys will have to step up if Green Bay is to win in Minnesota on Sunday night.
1. Jordan Love Must Outperform His First Game Against the Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Love completed 24 of 41 passes for 229 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the Packers’ season opener against the Vikings. Green Bay was defeated 24-10. Simply simple, Love must perform better in Week 17 than he did in Week 8.
The good news is that he is. The Packers are 5-3 since their loss to the Vikings, their fourth in a row at the time. Love has a 66.4% completion rate, has passed for 2,095 yards, 16 touchdowns, and three interceptions in those eight games, and has a passer rating of 103.2.
Love has a 62.5% completion percentage, 3,587 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions for the season, with a passer rating of 91.8. Green Bay will need him to keep improving his play and decision making if they are to beat the Vikings on Sunday night.
2. Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers wide receiver, might leave his mark in the record books.
Jayden Reed has four catches for 83 yards in the Packers’ Week 8 loss to the Vikings. His 83 receiving yards in that game were the second-most in a game this season/career, falling one yard short of the 84 yards he got in Green Bay’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Reed is no longer on the injury report after missing the Packers’ win over Carolina last week, and he will almost probably play on Sunday night. He only needs one more reception to tie Sterling Sharpe’s team record for most rookie receptions, and two more to break it.
Reed had six receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown in the Packers’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. Reed has 54 receptions for 592 yards and six touchdowns on the season.
3. Feed Aaron Jones and Prosper
Running back Aaron Jones, like many other players on this club, has been hampered by injuries all season. Jones returned against the Panthers after spraining his MCL and missing three games late in the season to record the Packers’ first 100-yard game by a running back or wide receiver this season. In the 33-30 victory, he had 21 carries for 127 yards.
With Watson, Wicks, and Luke Musgrave out, having a healthy Aaron Jones is critical to Green Bay’s success. Equally crucial is Matt LaFleur providing Jones the number of carries he requires to help the team succeed. Despite Jones’ absences this season, the Packers are 2-0 when he gets at least 20 carries.
According to StatMuse, Jones has gotten 20+ carries in a game just eight times since 2019. In those games, the Packers are 7-1.
5. Preston Smith is the Green Bay Packers’ best run defender.
Preston Smith presently leads the Packers in sacks with 7.0 this season. On Sunday night, his pass-rushing ability will be crucial against rookie quarterback Jaren Hall. Smith, on the other hand, will have to maintain his relatively strong play against the run.
Smith is the third-highest ranked run defender on the squad this year, according to PFF, with a grade of 74.2. Five of the Packers’ top eight highest-graded run defenders will not be on the field on Sunday night:
Eric Stokes is on injured reserve.
Darnell Savage- wounded (albeit his condition is classified as doubtful).
Justin Hollins has been discharged.
Rasul Douglas- exchanged
De’Vondre Campbell has been wounded.
This season, the Vikings are one of the worst running teams in the NFL. Despite the setback in Week 8, the Packers limited them to 61 rushing yards as a team. Smith will be critical in preventing Hall from scrambling for large gains and the running backs from bursting for long runs.
5. Carrington Valentine Must Demonstrate His Eligibility
When the 2023 season began, few expected Carrington Valentine, a seventh-round draft pick in 2023, to play many snaps, let alone start the majority of the Packers’ games. But now it’s Week 17, and Valentine has started 10 games and played 59% of the defensive snaps.
While he hasn’t set the world on fire as a defensive back, he has performed far better than expected. Valentine has only allowed 57.1% of throws thrown his way to be completed and has only allowed one score. When opposing quarterbacks target him, they have an 86.0 passing rating.
Valentine will be charged with covering one of Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison in this must-win game against Minnesota. Neither matchup is simple, but Valentine has already taken on difficult assignments this season in Keenan Allen and Amon Ra St. Brown. Given the Vikings’ inability to run the ball, his ability to contain these wide receivers might effectively shut down the attack.
