Will the Pack Climb Out Of the NFC North Basement Sunday?

Border Battle No. 133 arrives with all the usual fanfare, high drama at quarterback, and the understanding that the losing team will sit in last place in the NFC North, despite having six wins in nine or 10 games.

The Details

How the mood has shifted in Vikings-land since Tuesday morning.

Kirk Cousins

‘ return has rejuvenated the fanbase and likely the locker room, giving the Minnesota Vikings a legitimate chance to compete for their rightful place in the NFC hierarchy. To no one’s surprise, the team named Cousins the starter Friday afternoon.

He was really the only guy the Vikings could have expected to pull that off, given his familiarity with Kevin O’Connell’s offense and the receivers he’ll be throwing to. He will be down one weapon, though. Minnesota has ruled out T.J. Hockenson with wrist and chest injuries.

It’s difficult to believe the offense will start right up and fire on all cylinders. It’s bound to take a few weeks for everyone on that side of the ball to feel comfortable, and Cousins and his offensive line will have their hands full with Jonathan Gannon’s aggressive, ball-hawking defense.

The Pack has had multiple takeaways in six straight games, and Cousins has been generous with the ball, throwing eight interceptions and fumbling three times. Any hesitation could cost him dearly. He’d love to rely on the running game, but it hasn’t been a strength for Minnesota, and the Packers have done a pretty good job in that department against anyone not named Bijan Robinson. They’ll get linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper back after he exited with a chest injury early last week. He exploded on the scene with his performance against the Detroit Lions.

There are some injury concerns for the Packers defense.

Xavier McKinney missed practice on Friday with a foot injury, and Javon Bullard and Lukas Van Ness didn’t practice until Friday. Those two say they believe they’ll play. We’ll wait and see on McKinney, who’s coming off a multi-interception game.

One final note on the defense.

Micah Parsons participated in 11-on-11 drills for the first time this week, but has been ruled out. Most expect he’ll make his long-awaited return in the Los Angeles Rams game, giving him another 10 days or so to ramp up.

Everyone will be riveted to watch the matchup between Jordan Love and the team’s high-flying offense against Brian Flores and his merry band of blitzers. The biggest news is the loss of Blake Cashman, who will miss the game (concussion protocol). Defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is also out Sunday. Cashman’s loss is immeasurable — he’s the QB of the defense.

For me, the biggest edge the Packers have is on that side of the ball. The Vikings come into Lambeau on a short week, and their defense was on the field for basically the entire game Monday night: 44 minutes and 79 plays. It’s a big ask to expect them to be at their best late in the game on Sunday, especially with two key starters out.

Back in Week 1, Love and the offense toyed with the Vikings early, with Love throwing for nearly 400 yards and Green Bay’s three main pass-catchers being productive. Flores’ blitzes overwhelmed the team in the fourth quarter, flipping the game. But that offensive line that got crushed featured four guys who won’t be playing on Sunday.

The new look offensive line is still sub-standard. However, it’s better in every spot except center, where Sean Rhyan will miss at least one more game.

Zach Bako-Bewele played in the opener, but he was clearly far less than 100% and was lost for the season the next week.

The big question is whether Zeitler will finally crack the lineup, after stepping in last week and looking very good. We were daring to dream that the Aaron Banks era might finally end and the Packers would roll with Zeitler and Laken Tomlinson at guards. With Zeitler popping up on the injury report Friday, though, all bets are off. At least we know Jordan Morgan is playing infinitely better than he did in the opener, and he’ll need to be sharp to handle the lightning-quick Dallas Turner.

Kaleb Johnson will likely get the bulk of the carries after showing a little juice last week.

Chris Brooks

‘ likely return would also be massive. He has solid pass-protection chops, which is much needed against this opponent.

The Vikings rank in the bottom half in rush defense, so a semblance of a running game is possible and necessary.

The Vikings can be beaten with explosive plays, thanks to their blitzing, and they’re susceptible to giving up yards after the catch, ranking 23rd. Maybe this is the week Tucker Kraft joins the party, and Savion Williams is given more opportunities as he continues to shine.

The one big edge the Vikings have is in the kicking game. If it comes down to field goals at the end, it could get ugly. The good news?

Trey Smack made all seven of his kicks last week. The bad news? He’s just four of seven at Lambeau. Big news for the Pack on special teams: Return ace Skyy Moore is expected back and will resume his kick- and punt-return roles. He also could get a look in the passing game.

Big picture, the Packers are the more desperate team here, playing a home division game, knowing they’re just 1-2 against the North and can’t afford to drop to 6-4 and then think about it for 10 days. They vividly recall collapsing in the last 18 minutes of the first matchup and believe their offensive line is stronger, their defense is playing at a different level, and their QB has been the best in the game over the past month.

I think it’s a low-scoring game that stays tight throughout. But Love takes advantage of that tired, undermanned defense with a late touchdown to seal it and drop the Vikings to the basement of the North, for now.

• Packers
• 24
• Vikings
• 13
• Dave Sinykin

Dave has hosted the “Packer Preview” on the Vikings' flagship, KFAN, for 30 years. Follow him on Twitter: @TCHeadCheese.