The Green Bay Packers will attempt to do what hasn’t been done to start the 2024 season: beat the Minnesota Vikings. Kevin O’Connell’s team is 3-0 to open the year, with big wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans. Now, the Packers — who have won back-to-back games with a backup quarterback under center — will welcome the Vikings to Lambeau Field for the first NFC North matchup of the season.
The Vikings have been dynamic on offense and disruptive on defense.
Can Matt LaFleur’s team crack the Norse code on Sunday?
Here are five keys to the Packers beating the Vikings in Week 4:
Interior pressure on Darnold
The Vikings have two excellent offensive tackles in Christian Darrisaw on the left side and Brian O’Neil on the right side. The question marks for the Vikings offensive line are on the inside, particularly at center and right guard. Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram have allowed 20 combined pressures in three games. Can Devonte Wyatt, Kenny Clark and the rest of the Packers interior rushers take advantage? Don’t be surprised if the Packers send A-gap blitzes and use stunts inside to stress the interior blockers in obvious passing situations. The Packers must consistently disrupt Darnold and collapse the interior of the pocket to keep the Vikings passing game in check.
Jaire vs. J.J.
The biggest matchup of the game. Jaire Alexander could and likely will shadow Justin Jefferson, arguably the best receiver in football. Can Alexander keep Jefferson from taking over the game in big spots? The Vikings passing game is diverse, and Darnold has done a nice job distributing the football to a variety of targets, so Jefferson isn’t the only threat. But he’s the biggest one by far, and Alexander — who struggled with A.J. Brown in the opener but who is also coming off his best game of the season last week — must play at an All-Pro level. The Packers can’t let Jefferson beat them.
Beating the blitz
This matters regardless of who is playing quarterback for the Packers. Brian Flores is blitzing at a top five percentage once again this season, and it’s possible no defensive coordinator throws a wider range of blitzes at an offense than the Vikings. If Malik Willis starts, Flores will want to speed up his decision-making from the pocket. If Jordan Love starts, Flores will want to test his movement in the pocket. Expect to see blitzes from Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace from the second level, so Matt LaFleur must have pre-snap answers available to his quarterbacks. Also, this will be a big spot for Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson, who will likely be asked to pick up all the various blitzes coming from the Vikings on Sunday.
Run game test
The Packers have used a complex run game to help Malik Willis stay on schedule and unlock big-play opportunities during the last two weeks. Can the Packers stay productive on the ground against one of the NFL’s best run defenses to start 2024? Sunday could go sideways in a hurry if the Packers can’t run on early downs and get stuck in obvious passing situations against Brian Flores. Once again, it shouldn’t matter who is playing quarterback. The Packers need a diverse run game that utilizes misdirection to attack an aggressive defensive front and avoid tricky third-and-long scenarios.
Explosive plays, turnovers
The Packers’ winning formula is fairly simple: Create explosive plays on offense and generate turnovers on defense. It’s a winning blueprint for Sunday, too. The Packers offense hasn’t been great down to down, but the sheer number of explosive plays — Green Bay leads the NFL through three weeks — have provided more than enough scoring opportunities. The explosive plays in the run game have been consistent, and more could be expected (or available) in the passing game if Jordan Love returns Sunday. Defensively, turning pressure into takeaways will be key. Forcing Sam Darnold into a bad decision or two could provide the difference in the game. Darnold has been excellent under pressure this season, but no quarterback can consistently avoid turnovers in disrupted pockets.