The Green Bay Packers will play their third road game in the last four weeks when they take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Green Bay has won four of the last five at Minnesota.
Of the past 26 regular-season meetings between the teams, 18 of those games have been decided by seven points or less, including a 24-21 Packers victory in Minnesota last season in Week 12.
Through 109 meetings, which includes two postseason contests (1-1), the Packers hold a 58-49-2 edge over the Vikings in the all-time series.
The Packers are 9-1-1 in the last 11 games between the teams during the regular and postseason, including 4-1 at Minnesota. The Packers’ only loss during that span was by three points in 2012.
The Packers have scored 30-plus points in six of their last nine regular-season games against Minnesota, averaging 33.6 points per game over that span. That included a 42-point game last season, a 44-point outing at Minnesota in Week 8 of 2013, the most points ever scored by Green Bay at the Metrodome, and a 45-point effort at Lambeau Field in 2011.
Since Head Coach Mike McCarthy took over in 2006, the Packers have a 13-4-1 record (.750) against the Vikings in the regular season.
Since 2006, the Packers have scored 20-plus points against the Vikings in 17 of 18 regular-season games. The Packers’ 519 points scored in the regular-season since 2006 are the most against the Vikings in the NFL, and Green Bay’s 28.8 points per game leads the league among teams that have played Minnesota at least four times over that span.
Including the postseason, Green Bay is 10-4 against Minnesota with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback, and has won nine of the last 10 contests.
In 15 games against the Vikings (including playoffs), Rodgers has completed 310 of 436 passes (71.1) for 3,764 yards, 32 touchdowns and four interceptions with a passer rating of 117.9. His passer rating is the highest of any opposing quarterback vs. Minnesota (min. 100 att.).
Rodgers has recorded a 100-plus passer rating in 10 of the last 12 games against the Vikings, including the postseason. He recorded three passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 138.7 in a Week 5 victory vs. Minnesota last season. It was his fourth-highest rating against the Vikings in his career.
In 2010-11, Rodgers posted a passer rating of 140.0 or better in three contests against Minnesota (146.5 at MIN in 2011 / 141.3 at MIN in 2010 / 140.3 vs. MIN in 2011), becoming the first NFL quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to register a 140-plus passer rating in three consecutive games against the same opponent (according to the Elias Sports Bureau).
Green Bay is in the midst of a four-game stretch against division opponents, with all four games taking place in the span of 19 days.
It is the first time Green Bay has played four straight games against division opponents in a single season since 2000 (Weeks 14-17).
Green Bay returns to Lambeau Field in Week 12 for a Thanksgiving night game against the Chicago Bears. It will be the first home Thanksgiving game for Green Bay since 1923.
WITH THE CALL
FOX Sports, now in its 22nd season as an NFL network television partner, will broadcast the game to a regional audience.
Play-by-play man Joe Buck joins color commentator Troy Aikman and sideline reporter Erin Andrews.
Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in five states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 21st season calling Packers’ games. McCarren has four times been voted Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 17th season of broadcasts together.
Westwood One Sports will air the game across the country. John Sadak (play-by-play) and Tony Boselli (analyst) will call the action and Scott Graham will host pre-game and halftime shows.
The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed) as part of the network’s NFL Sunday Drive.
DIRECTV subscribers can watch the game on channel 712.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
If the Packers win, it will mark three consecutive victories on the road against the Vikings, which would be the longest road winning streak for the Packers in the series since winning five straight from 1980-85.
Green Bay has won six of its last seven NFC North games.
The Packers are looking to improve to 5-2 against NFC teams this season.
Green Bay is 13-5 against NFC teams since the start of last season. The Packers’ .722 winning percentage is tied with Arizona (13-5) for No. 1 among NFC teams over that span, and the 13 regular-season wins are tied with Arizona for second only to the Seattle Seahawks (14-6).
Under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, the Packers are 77-36-1 against NFC opponents during the regular season. Green Bay’s 77 wins are seven more than any other team over that span (New Orleans, 70-46).
The Packers have scored 28 points in the fourth quarter over the last two weeks, tied with Chicago for No. 1 in the NFL over that span.
Green Bay has forced one or more turnovers in every game this season. If they force one on Sunday, it would be the sixth time in the last nine seasons that the Packers forced at least one turnover in each of the first 10 games of the season.
Last week, Green Bay posted its sixth zero-turnover game of the season. That is tied for No. 3 in franchise history (since 1933), matching the mark posted in 2004 and trailing only the totals in 2009 (eight) and 2014 (seven).
OFFENSE
If QB Aaron Rodgers throws for 300-plus yards, it will be the 44th 300-yard passing game of his career during the regular season. It will also mark the third time he has thrown for 300-plus yards in three or more consecutive games in a single regular season (2014-three / 2011-four).
Rodgers has thrown for 702 yards, six touchdowns and one interception over the last two games.
For his career, Rodgers has thrown 89 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a has a passer rating of 112.5 against NFC North teams during the regular season.
Dating back to 2014, Rodgers has not thrown an interception in 20 of the last 25 regular-season games, including nine of the last 11. The Packers are 17-3 in those games.
Since the start of the 2014 season, Rodgers has thrown 59 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
WR Davante Adams caught a career-high 10 passes for 79 yards last week against Detroit, eclipsing his previous best of seven receptions (at New Orleans in 2014, at Carolina in 2015).
Adams has 17 receptions for 172 yards over the last two games.
WR Randall Cobb needs one catch to extend his streak of consecutive regular-season games with a reception to 50, which would pass Max McGee (49, 1959-1963) and tie him with Don Hutson (1941-45) and Paul Coffman (1979-82) for sixth place in franchise history.
WR James Jones has tied his career high (2013) with eight receptions of 25-plus yards this season.
TE Richard Rodgers caught a 4-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter last week, giving him a TD grab in back-to-back games for the second time in his career (Weeks 12-13 last season). He has three TD catches in the last two games.
TE Justin Perillo registered a career-high five catches for a career-best 58 yards (11.6 avg.) last week, including the first TD grab of his career.
In Week 10, RB James Starks matched his career high with six receptions for 54 yards (9.0 avg.), tying his total vs. Tampa Bay in 2011 and at Carolina this season in Week 9.
Starks is five receptions away from surpassing his career high of 29 from 2011 (13 games). He has already set new career bests with 221 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions this season.
DEFENSE
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix set career highs in tackles (12) and solo tackles (11) last week against Detroit, while also recording an interception.
LB Clay Matthews has 13 career games with two or more sacks. He is one shy of tying Tim Harris (14, 1986-90) for No. 3 in team history (Reggie White, 16; Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, 15).
LB Julius Peppers leads the team with 5.5 sacks this season. Dating back to last season (including playoffs), Peppers has 10 sacks in the last 13 games.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT:
Packers at Vikings:
All-time regular season: 57-48-2
All-time, postseason: 1-1
All-time, at Minnesota: 27-26
Streaks: The Packers have won four of the last five meetings in Minnesota.
Last meeting, at Minnesota: Nov. 23, 2014, at TCF Bank Stadium; Packers won, 24-21
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 107-58-1, .645, (incl. 7-6 postseason); 10th NFL season
Mike Zimmer: 14-11, .560, 2nd NFL season
Head to Head: McCarthy 2-0
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 14-4-1 vs. Vikings; Zimmer 0-2 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY…Is in his 10th year as the Packers’ 14th head coach.
Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
Led the Packers to their sixth consecutive playoff appearance last season, joining New England as the only two NFL teams to do so over that span. Has also led the team to seven playoff appearances in the last eight years (2007, 2009-14).
Has guided the Packers to top-10 finishes in scoring each of the past eight seasons (2007-14), joining the Patriots as the only other team to accomplish the feat; Packers finished first overall in scoring in 2014.
His .657 winning percentage during the regular season (100-52-1) ranks No. 3 among active NFL coaches (min. 50 games).
Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head-coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
MIKE ZIMMER…Is in his second year as the Vikings’ ninth head coach.
Led the Vikings to a 7-9 record in his first year at the helm in 2014.
Oversaw a defensive unit that ranked No. 7 in the NFL in passing defense and No. 5 in the NFL in fewest plays of 20-plus yards last season.
Spent 20 seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL, including 14 as a defensive coordinator for Cincinnati, Atlanta and Dallas.
From 2008-13, he was the defensive coordinator for a Bengals defense that ranked in the top 10 four times. In the 18 years prior, Cincinnati had only cracked the top 10 once.
Has had eight defensive players selected to the Pro Bowl a total of 23 times.
THE PACKERS-VIKINGS SERIES
This marks the 110th overall meeting between the border rivals.
The Packers own a 58-49-2 advantage over the Vikings (including playoffs) in the all-time series.
Green Bay’s five-game winning streak that was snapped in the 2012 finale was the longest by the club since a five-game streak against Minnesota from 2006-08. Prior to that, the longest streak for either team was Green Bay’s five-game winning streak from 1983-85.
The series began when the Vikings entered the league in 1961, and Vince Lombardi’s Packers won nine of the first 10.
Over the last 21 seasons (1994-2014), these teams have accounted for 16 NFC Central/North division championships.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Packers DT Letroy Guion played for the Vikings from 2008-13 after originally being selected in the fifth round...Packers VP of football admin./player finance Russ Ball served as the senior football administrator for the Vikings from 1999-2000...Vikings WR Charles Johnson was drafted by the Packers in the seventh round (216th overall) in 2013 and spent the early part of that season on Green Bay’s practice squad...Vikings special teams coord. Mike Priefer’s father, Chuck, was an asst. coach for the Packers from 1984-85...Vikings CB Trae Waynes is from Kenosha, Wis. ...Packers HC Mike McCarthy was the OC, TEs coach Jerry Fontenot played C and secondary-safeties coach Darren Perry played FS for New Orleans while Vikings head of strength and conditioning Evan Marcus was the asst. strength and conditioning coach from 2000-02...In 2007, Packers secondary-cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. was the asst. DBs coach for Atlanta while Vikings HC Mike Zimmer was the DC and asst. DBs/quality control coach Jonathan Gannon was a def. asst./quality control coach...From 1991-93, Packers def. quality control coach John Rushing played DB at Washington State while Zimmer was the DC...Packers DC Dom Capers and Vikings DC George Edwards were on the Dolphins defensive coaching staff together in 2006-07...In 1991, Packers senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith played RB for the Cowboys while Vikings OC Norv Turner worked in the same position...Highsmith played for Tampa Bay while Vikings WRs coach George Stewart coached special teams...Packers DL coach Mike Trgovac and Vikings OL coach Jeff Davidson coached on the staff together in Carolina...Trgovac coached the DL for Washington while Turner was the HC and Vikings RBs coach Kirby Wilson worked in the same role in 2000...Packers RBs coach Sam Gash played FB for New England while Davidson, Wilson and DL coach Andre Patterson were on the coaching staff in 1997...Packers QB Scott Tolzien spent training camp with San Diego in 2011 while Turner was the HC...Packers assoc. HC/offense Tom Clements (OC, 2004-05), Gash (FB, 2003) and QBs/WRs coach Alex Van Pelt (QB, 1995-2003, volunteer off. quality control, 2005) were all with the Bills while Vikings DBs coach Jerry Gray was the DC (2001-05)...Packers asst. OL coach Mike Solari coached alongside Stewart in San Francisco (1996)...Solari also spent time with Vikings asst. strength and conditioning coach Jeff Hurd and Priefer in Kansas City...In 2009, Packers LB Julius Peppers was teammates with Vikings CB Captain Munnerlyn in Carolina...Former college teammates include Packers LB Clay Matthews and LB Nick Perry and Vikings DE Everson Griffen, TE Rhett Ellison and T Matt Kalil (Southern California), Packers S Chris Banjo and Vikings FB Zach Line (SMU), Packers LB Jayrone Elliott and Vikings G Zac Kerin (Toledo), Packers S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and RB Eddie Lacy and Vikings T Austin Shepherd (Alabama), and Packers DE Datone Jones and QB Brett Hundley and Vikings LB Anthony Barr, P Jeff Locke, G Mike Harris, LB Eric Kendricks and LS Kevin McDermott (UCLA).
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
Nov. 23, 2014, at TCF Bank Stadium; Packers won, 24-21.
QB Aaron Rodgers completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 209 yards and two TDs (109.7 passer rating).
RB Eddie Lacy rushed for 125 yards on 25 attempts (5.0 avg.) and one TD, while also adding two receptions for 13 yards (6.5 avg.) and a score.
QB Teddy Bridgewater connected on 21 of 37 passes for 210 yards, two TDs and one INT (79.8 passer rating).
There is no other way..... Let it burn baby >>>
