Green Bay will travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in the Packers’ second Monday Night Football game of the season and sixth appearance in primetime.
It is ninth MNF meeting between Green Bay and Minnesota and the Packers’ first MNF appearance in Minnesota since 2009.
This is only Green Bay’s second MNF game on the road over the last seven seasons (2013-2019), with a victory at the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 as the only other road MNF contest over that span.
It is the latest MNF game for the Packers since playing at Chicago in Week 16 in 2008.
Through 118 meetings, which includes two postseason contests (1-1), the Packers hold a 61-54-3 edge over the Vikings in the all-time series.
Monday will be just the second time in the 59-year history of the series that the Packers and Vikings have met in the regular season when both teams entered the game with a double-digit win total (also in 2015). Since the Vikings entered the league in 1961, there have been only six years where both teams had 10-plus wins in the same season (1989, 1998, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2019).
Of the past 34 regular-season meetings between the teams, 23 of those games have been decided by seven points or less, including a 21-16 victory by Green Bay this season in Week 2.
Green Bay is looking to sweep the regular-season series with Minnesota for the first time since 2014 and the sixth time since 2002 (2011, 2010, 2007, 2006, 2004).
The Packers are looking for their first victory at U.S. Bank Stadium, having lost the previous three contests, with two being decided by a touchdown or less (seven, three).
Green Bay (five) and Minnesota (four) have won nine of the last 11 NFC North titles (2008-18).
This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).
RODGERS AND THE VIKINGS
Including the postseason, Green Bay is 13-8-1 against Minnesota with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback.
In 22 games as the starter against the Vikings (including playoffs), Rodgers has completed 471 of 694 passes (67.9 percent) for 5,516 yards, 44 TDs and six INTs with a passer rating of 109.3. His passer rating is the second highest of any opposing starting quarterback (min. 100 att.) vs. Minnesota (Kurt Warner, 112.4), according to pro-football-reference.com.
Rodgers has recorded a 100-plus passer rating in 13 of his 22 starts against the Vikings (including the postseason) and a rating of 94-plus in 16 contests.
Rodgers has recorded seven games with a passer rating of 130-plus against Minnesota, the most by a quarterback in NFL history against one opponent (according to the Elias Sports Bureau).
In the last 16 games versus Minnesota (including playoffs), Rodgers has thrown 22 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Rodgers is the only player to have four games with four-plus touchdown passes with zero interceptions against the Vikings. No other quarterback has more than two.
IN THE DIVISION
The Packers have started 4-0 in the NFC North for the first time since 2012 and for just the third time (2011) since the division was formed in 2002.
Green Bay joins Kansas City (5-0), Dallas (4-0) and New England (4-0) as the only teams to be undefeated in division games this season.
The Packers swept the regular-season series with the Bears for the 15th time in the last 26 years (since 1994) and the seventh time in the last 11 seasons.
WITH THE CALL
ESPN is in its 14th season as host of the most successful series in sports television history, Monday Night Football. Play-by-play man Joe Tessitore is joined by analyst Booger McFarland for the 50th season of MNF broadcasts, with Lisa Salters reporting from the sidelines.
The game will also be broadcast on WLUK-TV FOX11 in Green Bay and WISN-TV CBS58 in Milwaukee.
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 four states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play), two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) and three-time Packers Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro John Kuhn (sideline) will call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 25th season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 21st season of broadcasts together. They surpassed Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers with 313 at the 2018 season opener against Chicago.
The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed).
Westwood One Sports will air the game on radio across the country. Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Kurt Warner (analyst) will call the action, with Laura Okmin reporting from the sidelines and Jim Gray hosting the pregame and halftime shows.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Vikings:
Regular season, all-time: 60-53-3
All-time, postseason: 1-1
All-time, at Minnesota: 28-29
Streaks: The Packers are 5-4 in the previous nine games played in Minnesota.
Last meeting, regular season: Sept. 15, 2019, Lambeau Field, Packers won, 21-16
COACHES CAPSULES
Matt LaFleur: 11-3-0, .786; 1st NFL season
Mike Zimmer: 58-38-1, .598 (incl. 1-2 postseason); 6th NFL season
Head to Head: LaFleur 1-0 vs. Zimmer
vs. Opponent: LaFleur 1-0 vs. Vikings; Zimmer 5-5-1 vs. Packers
MATT LAFLEUR…In his first season as the Packers’ 15th head coach.
Entering his 11th season in the NFL, having served as an offensive coordinator for two seasons (Los Angeles Rams, 2017; Tennessee Titans, 2018), a quarterbacks coach for six seasons (Washington Redskins, 2010-13; Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16), and an offensive assistant for two seasons (Houston Texans, 2008-09).
Guided the Titans’ offense in 2018 to a No. 7 league ranking in rushing (126.4 ypg) as Tennessee registered 11 games with 100-plus rushing yards, tied for No. 2 in the NFL.
Helped the Rams lead the league in scoring with an average of 29.9 points per game in 2017, more than doubling their average from 2016 (14.0 ppg).
Tutored QB Matt Ryan, who led the league in passer rating (117.1) in 2016 on his way to being named NFL Most Valuable Player by The Associated Press.
Coached rookie QB Robert Griffin III with the Redskins in 2012, who became the first QB in team history to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
MIKE ZIMMER…In his sixth year as the Vikings’ 9th head coach.
Led Minnesota to a record-setting 2017 campaign that saw the Vikings go 13-3, win the NFC North title and advance to the NFC Championship Game.
After inheriting the No. 31 defense in the league in 2014, guided the Minnesota defense to the top ranking in both yards allowed and points allowed in 2017.
The 2017 division title marked Zimmer’s second in four years after piloting the Vikings to an 11-5 record and an NFC North crown in 2015.
A longtime defensive coordinator prior to taking the Minnesota job, coached four top-10 defensive units in Cincinnati (2009, 2011-13), three in Dallas (2001, 2003, 2005) and three as head coach of the Vikings (2016-18).
THE PACKERS-VIKINGS SERIES
The Packers began the series with six straight wins before Minnesota rattled off 22 victories in 32 contests from 1964-79.
Green Bay started a run of its own in 1979 that generated 16 wins over 21 games and lasted until 1990.
Since 2000, the Packers are 24-15-2 (.615) versus the Vikings.
In the two Wild Card playoff contests between the franchises, Green Bay and Minnesota have each scored 41 total points and won a game by 14 points.
The 29-29 tie in the 2018 Week 2 matchup between these clubs was the eighth OT contest in the series. The Vikings hold a 4-1-3 advantage in OT games.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Packers T/G Billy Turner is from Shoreview, Minn. and attended Mounds View High School outside of Minneapolis…Turner’s father, Maurice, was a 12th-round draft choice by the Vikings in 1983…Packers executive vice president/ director of football operations Russ Ball served as the senior football administrator for the Vikings from 1999-2000...Vikings CB Trae Waynes is from Kenosha, Wis...Vikings assistant head coach/offensive advisor Gary Kubiak coached Packers defensive backs coach Jason Simmons for two seasons when he played for the Houston Texans…Kubiak was also head coach of the Texans when Packers CB Tramon Williams signed as an undrafted free agent in 2006…Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak and Brian Pariani were all on the Denver coaching staff in 2016 while Turner played for the Broncos…Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was Vikings QB Kirk Cousins’ position coach in Washington for two seasons (2012-13)…Vikings QB Sean Mannion was on the Los Angeles Rams’ roster when LaFleur was offensive coordinator…LaFleur was on Kubiak’s staff in Houston in 2008-09...Cousins and Packers DL Preston Smith played on the Redskins together for three seasons (2015-17)…Vikings assistant strength and conditioning coach Derik Keyes served in the same role with Cleveland while Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was head coach…Vikings assistant strength and conditioning coach Chaz Mahle was the sports performance assistant at Stanford in 2012 when Packers LB Blake Martinez was a freshman…Packers RB Aaron Jones was coached by Vikings offensive quality control coach AC Patterson during his freshman season at Texas-El Paso…Vikings assistant defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez was also on the Texas El-Paso staff during Jones’ career at UTEP…Packers S Adrian Amos and Vikings G Dakota Dozier spent two seasons together on the Chicago Bears’ roster (2015-16)…Vikings offensive quality control coach Christian Jones played with Packers S Ibraheim Campbell, DL Tyler Lancaster, DL Dean Lowry and FB Danny Vitale at Northwestern…Jones was a 4-star recruit out of Westfield HS (Houston, Texas), where Packers tight ends coach Justin Outten was the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator...Minnesota running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu coached in Jacksonville for four years (2006-09) during Green Bay TE Marcedes Lewis’ time with the Jaguars...Lewis and Vikings T Rashod Hill played together with Jacksonville in 2016…Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett held the same position when Lewis and Hill were on the roster…Lewis spent two seasons (2004-05) with Vikings assistant special teams coach Ryan Ficken at UCLA...Polamalu coached at UCLA while Green Bay DL Kenny Clark played for the Bruins...Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans and Vikings wide receivers coach Drew Petzing coached together at Boston College from 2010-11...Vikings special teams coordinator Marwin Maalouf was the assistant special teams coordinator for Miami when Turner was with the Dolphins...Maalouf and Pettine were on the Baltimore Ravens’ coaching staff together in 2008. Former college teammates include: Packers CB Tony Brown, P JK Scott and Vikings WR Irv Smith Jr. (Alabama); Packers LB B.J. Goodson, Vikings CB Mackensie Alexander and S Jayron Kearse (Clemson); Packers CB Josh Jackson and Vikings DT Jaleel Johnson (Iowa), Campbell, Lancaster, Lowry, Vitale and Vikings DE Ifeadi Odenigbo (Northwestern); Packers C Corey Linsley and Vikings G Pat Elflein (Ohio State); Packers LB Ty Summers and Vikings T Aviante Collins (TCU); Packers DL Kenny Clark, Vikings LB Anthony Barr and LB Eric Kendricks (UCLA); Packers LB Oren Burks and Vikings DE Stephen Weatherly (Vanderbilt).
