The Green Bay Packers will be in Minneapolis to play the Minnesota Vikings — who are 13-2 and winners of eight straight games — on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Can the Packers get win No. 12 and snap Minnesota’s impressive streak with a big-time victory on the road before the postseason?
Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 17 showdown with the Vikings will go down:
Zach Kruse: Packers 30, Vikings 28 (9-6)
A dream matchup — a divisional showdown between two of the NFL’s top teams with important playoff positioning on the line — and a chance for the Packers to score a big-time road win with the postseason just weeks away. Matt LaFleur’s team started December with a chance to go into Detroit and grab a signature win. A couple of bad breaks and missed opportunities cost the Packers that win. But a chance at redemption arrives in Minneapolis to end December, and I think the Packers take it running. Matt LaFleur’s team must prove they can stick to their identity on the road in a hostile environment and beat a true contender — something that will be required multiple times if the Packers are to go on a run in the postseason. Well-balanced on both sides of the ball and confident coming off back-to-back blowout wins, the Packers have what it takes to win this football game. In a back-and-forth shootout, I think Jordan Love creates the one clutch play late to help the Packers escape with a narrow win.
Brandon Carwile: Packers 27, Vikings 24 (12-3)
Green Bay is winless against Philadelphia, Detroit, and Minnesota this season and could use a signature win over a top NFC contender to prepare for the playoffs. Even though the Packers are no longer in contention for a first-round bye or the NFC North throne, this Week 17 matchup still carries a lot of weight. It will be a chance for Green Bay to avenge their Week 4 loss to Minnesota, and it could also help them improve their seeding for a more favorable matchup in the wild-card round. In case you forgot, the Vikings led 28-0 at one point in the first meeting before the Packers fought their way back to lose by just two points. While Minnesota is an extremely talented team, nine of their 13 wins have been by one score, including last Sunday against the Seahawks, whom Green Bay defeated by 17 points less than two weeks ago. The Packers are the hotter team at the moment, and I don’t foresee them falling into another massive hole, so I’m predicting a win in the rematch.
Brennen Rupp: Packers 30, Vikings 27 (14-1)
When these two teams met back in week four, Green Bay’s pass rush recorded 14 pressures and two sacks. Minnesota’s offensive line is going to have their hands full on Sunday. Since the calendar has flipped to December, Green Bay’s pass rush has turned up the temperature. During the past three games, Jeff Hafley’s defense has recorded 11 sacks and 77 pressures, including 10 sacks and 64 pressures in the last two games. Green Bay’s pass rush will force Sam Darnold into an errant throw or two to give Jordan Love and the offense extra possessions and that will be the difference in the game as the Packers pick up their third straight win and continue to gain momentum as they gear up for a playoff run. Something tells me that these two teams could meet again in a few weeks.
| Writer | Prediction | Score | Record |
| Zach Kruse | Win | 30-28 | 9-6 |
| Brandon Carwile | Win | 27-24 | 12-3 |
| Brennen Rupp | Win | 30-27 | 14-1 |