Vikings open up as 1.5-point home underdogs vs Packers in week 1

The sportsbooks do not view the Vikings favorably heading into the opener

The Minnesota Vikings are fortunate in getting to play at home in week one but have a tough opponent as their arch-rival Green Bay Packers pay a visit to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Coming off of an offseason that focused squarely on change, new head coach Kevin O’Connell and his offensive-focused approach will be on full display for the first time. During the preseason, there were some flashes of his core concepts but the full bag of tricks will start to be unleashed come Sunday, September 11th.

The line from Tipico Sportsbook favoring the Packers at 1.5 points signals that they believe the Vikings need to prove something before they get the respect a lot of national pundits are giving this team. Being that the home team is usually given three points, the Packers would likely be -7.5 favorites if the game was at Lambeau Field. The over/under set at 48.5 says that this should be a competitive game.

While it’s understandable that the Packers are favored considering all the changes going on with the Vikings, it shouldn’t be that much of a swing. The Vikings do sport a top-10 offense from last season and have only gotten better both in personnel and development. They also beat the Packers 34-31 last season at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Packers are also without both Davante Adams and Za’Darius Smith, two of their best players and have a lot of questions themselves. The game itself should be competitive and a lot of fun.

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Has Ed Ingram won the starting guard job?

Could the second round pick open the season as the starting right guard?

After the Vikings selected Ed Ingram in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, he is currently trending to be the starter at right guard.

Trending is the key word here, as head coach Kevin O’Connell hasn’t confirmed who the opening day starter will be at right guard will be against the Green Bay Packers.

Where does this leave the other competitors for the job? Jesse Davis has shown a lot of struggles, including a sub-five-point pass blocking PFF grade against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Chris Reed – who played in his first preseason game this week against the Denver Broncos – suffered an elbow injury early in training camp. After signing with the Vikings after playing the Indianapolis Colts last season, Reed has split time at both center and guard.

Oli Udoh and Wyatt Davis have also been in contention at one point but both are firmly on the roster bubble.

If Ingram wins the job and plays well, it will be a home run selection for new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

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Irv Smith Jr. is Likely to Play Week One vs Green Bay

O’Connell delivers great news about the Vikings star TE

The Minnesota Vikings got some good news on Thursday morning.

Irv Smith Jr. hurt his thumb at the beginning of training camp and had surgery to fix the issue. After tearing his meniscus last preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs, the thumb injury felt like another unfair blow to the former Alabama star set to break out.

Before joint practices began against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked about Smith Jr. and his status moving forward.

“Yes he is (on track for week one),” said O’Connell. “Everything with Irv has been really positive. You guys will see him during these practices.”

This is tremendous news for the Vikings, as Smith Jr. is primed to really succeed in this offense.

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Broadcast team set for week one vs Green Bay

The Vikings scored FOX’s number one team for week one

The Vikings have had their fair share of different broadcast teams over the years. One of the games that has relative consistently is when they play the Green Bay Packers.

More often than not, the game is a featured one on either Fox or a primetime matchup on ESPN’s Monday Night Football or NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

Opening up the season on September 11th, the Vikings host the Packers in Fox’s Game of the Week, drawing their number one broadcast crew.

Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen step in for Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. They had held the top spot for Fox since 2002 when they replaced Pat Summerall and John Madden.

Not only is it a big game for the Vikings, but it will be a national audience at 3:25 central time.