The Minnesota Vikings (12-3) are the NFC North champions for 2022, but they are still home underdogs against the Green Bay Packers (7-8), who have a -21 point differential on the season but who have also won three in a row and remain on the edge of the NFC playoff conversation. The Miami Dolphins were the latest team to melt down after building a lead over the Packers, as Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions in the second half, and Green Bay came back to win, 26-20. Can Kirk Cousins win a game packed with pressure against Green Bay? We will see if the Vikings can actually pull off the season sweep. Read our NFL betting preview before you lock in your wagers.
NFL Preview: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (Sunday, January 1)
When: Sunday, January 1, 2023, 4:25 pm ET
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
TV: FOX
Radio: WRFX 99.7 FM Charlotte / WXTB 97.7 FM Tampa
Live Stream: Sling TV
NFL Odds: Green Bay -3 / O/U 48 // Green Bay -190 / Minnesota +158
Why should you bet on the Packers?
Green Bay has its sights set on the last wild card slot in the NFC, now that Washington is falling off the table. If the Packers win out and Washington or the Giants lose at least once, the Packers would get in. In the last three games, the Packers have put up 26 points per game, and Aaron Rodgers has thrown for almost 500 yards combined in the last two contests, both wins.
Christian Watson (hip) is questionable, but it’s hard to see anyone missing this game unless it’s absolutely necessary. Rookie tight end Romeo Doubs has 39 catches for 405 yards and three touchdowns, and Allen Lazard has 51 catches for 688 yards and five scores. A.J. Dillon returned from the concussion protocol to pick up 48 yards and a score, and he will have to do more as Aaron Jones sprained his ankle in Miami last week.
Why should you put your money on the Vikings?
While the Vikings have that 12-3 record this season, many of their wins have been fragile at best. The only game they have won by more than eight was back in Week 1, when they beat Green Bay at home by 16. They also permitted 33 points in the first half against Indianapolis two weeks ago, giving up an offensive, defensive and special teams touchdown, before mounting the largest comeback in NFL history to win in overtime, 39-36. They also came back in the fourth quarter to beat the Giants last week.
What this means is that the Vikings’ defense has been porous, as the team has permitted 31.3 points per game in the last three contests. Fourteen of those points came from opposing defenses and special teams, but that’s still a less than solid track record from the unit that’s supposed to stop Aaron Rodgers. The last time the Vikings swept the Packers was back in 2017. While Kirk Cousins has thrown for nine touchdowns the last three weeks and Justin Jefferson has already broken the franchise record for receiving yards in a season, with 1,756, it’s hard to be confident in the Vikings to shut down Green Bay right now.
Final Score and Prediction
The Vikings at Lambeau in Week 17? I don’t think there’s any way Kirk Cousins has the mental strength to outduel Aaron Rodgers on the storied tundra. The temperature should be “warm” on Sunday, with a high of 36, but I still don’t see Cousins avoiding turnovers against a tough Green Bay secondary. I predict a final score of Green Bay 30, Minnesota 20.
NFL Betting Odds
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