NFL Football: Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings Prediction, Odds and Preview - 09/11/2022

 

Game Time: 4:25 pm ET, Sunday, August 11, 2022

Venue:  US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Where to Watch: FOX

 

DraftKings:  Spread:  Packers -1.5; O/U 47

BetMGM:  Spread:  Packers -1.5; O/U 47

PointsBet:  Spread:  Packers -1.5; O/U 47

 

Packers: 13-4, 1st place NFC North

Vikings: 8-9, 2nd place NFC North

The season opens with an exciting NFC North matchup.  Last season the NFC North was simply not very good.  The winner of the division, the Packers, was head and shoulders above the Vikings, the Chicago Bears, and the Detroit Lions… all of those other teams had full blown losing seasons.  The Packers took that easy win and promptly lost their first playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers in a 13-10 yawner.  Aaron Rodgers got clipped out of the playoffs by Jimmy G, who no longer even has the starting job for the 49ers.  

The Packers have had an offseason of pure insanity… Their two best receivers moved on to other teams… while their starting QB had a long back and forth until finally settling on a $50 million dollar per year 3 year extension… that ate up tons of cap space.  The new receivers are not anywhere near as good as the ones that left and Aaron is calling them out publicly already (zero real games played yet).  To make matters even more interesting the Packers QB announced that he took a sojourn to bask in the head trip that is ayahuasca… a drug found in Central America that is supposedly a life altering psychedelic.  He is now proudly a better person, better teammate, better leader, better lover!  All good stuff if you ask me.  Totally not the start of something terrible in Green Bay.

The Minnesota Vikings have been chipping away at their roster problems for the last several seasons.  This last offseason they fully re-committed to Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback… They are awaiting the further blossoming of WR Justin Jefferson and WR Adam Thielen as a top tandem… and quietly they have been packing the defense.  This team could be ready to be the Champs of the NFC North… First they have to knock off the Big Cheese.

 

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Last season the Packers ranked 10th in total yards, 8th in passing yards, and 18th in rushing yards.  They are a solid team with a legendary quarterback.  They need more out of the running back spot.

Last season the Vikings ranked 12th in total yards, 11th in passing yards, and 17th in rushing yards. RB Dalvin Cook is back and apparently healthy.  Look for a boost from that running game.

 

Last season the Packers defense ranked 9th in yards allowed, 10th in passing yards allowed, and 11th in rushing yards allowed.  Team management has heaped on the defensive players over the last dozen years knowing that Aaron Rodgers was there to pick up the slack.  They should have a MUCH better defense… instead they are just good.  

Last season the Vikings defense ranked 30th in total yards allowed, 28th in passing yards allowed, and 26th in rushing yards allowed.  They were defensively inept and that is where all the losses came from. The Vikings pulled off a defensive overhaul this last offseason… They signed linebackers, pass rushers, cornerbacks… and they drafted defense deep into the draft.  It could be much better this season… and that has been what is holding them back.  Gone is defensive mainstay Anthony Barr… 8 years may have been the cap on his career… He signed a 1 year nothing deal with the “desperate for defense” Cowboys.  He is a gladiator worthy of rooting for his resurgence.

Our Prediction for the Sunday, September 11th game is… Vikings 27 - Packers 23

 

Right out of the gate this prediction is the first of many upsets Aaron Rodgers will suffer this season.  QB Aaron Rodgers has been great for a long, long time.  This last offseason he managed to pull down a $50 million dollar per year payday to stay with the Packers.  It is a deal the Packers would have never gone for if QB (and shockingly 2020 first round pick) Jordan Love was capable of being an NFL starting quarterback.  But the real problem for the Packers is that they have seriously downgraded the receiving core and Aaron Rodgers is already calling them out publicly.   The disaster for Green Bay is looming and it starts in Minneapolis and will get worse as the season goes on.  

 

The spread is so small that Vegas seems to feel like this is a pick 'em' game anyway.  Bet on the Vikings and watch WR Justin Jefferson gain more yards by himself than all the Packers receivers combined.  Also if you want to throw $100 on the OVER you will not be disappointed… but the real bet is for the Vikings.

 

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Green Bay is 7-1 ATS in the first month of the season the last 3 seasons.

Green Bay has had 10 OVER and 2 UNDER versus division opponents the last 3 seasons.

Minnesota is 15 OVER and 4 UNDER in all games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points over the last 3 seasons.

 

Packers: all hands on deck

Vikings: all hands on deck

Packers: QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Aaron Jones, WR Allen Lazard, WR Sammy Watkins, WR Randall Cobb, TE Robert Tonyan, LT David Bakhtiari, LG Jon Runyan, C Josh Myers, RG Royce Newman, RT Elgton Jenkins

Vikings: QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, WR Justin Jefferson, WR Adam Thielen, WR KJ Osborn, TE Irv Smith Jr, FB CJ Ham, LT Christian Darrisaw, LG Ezra Cleveland, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Ed Ingram, RT Brian O’Neill

 

Green Bay: Matt LaFleur - He is still just an Aaron Rodgers yes man.  Hopefully he gets a chance to distinguish himself beyond that.

Minnesota: Kevin “I was actually born yesterday” O’Connell.  There are kids and then there are kids.  This kid watched Tom Brady win a Super Bowl when he was in high school.  Seriously.

 

Partly Cloudy. 71*, Humidity 45%, chance of precipitation 20%.  Wind 9 mph.  Yet the venue does have some shelter from the perfect football day.