Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings: Lombardiave staff predictions
Here we are heading into the Green Bay Packers Week 5 matchup against the NFC North Division rival Minnesota Vikings … and with it comes Lombardiave.com staffers predictions.
Take a look below and don’t forget to leave your own predictions in the comments below …
Patrick Hughes
Patrick Hughes: Aaron Rodgers is warmed up and ready to roll. Now can we get Eddie Lacy covering just a little more ground? And what’s the over/under on the number of yards the defense gives up?
The men in purple and head coach Mike Zimmer will give some new defensive looks. But QB1 will answer the bell. Given the short week it could be a sloppy game. Not to mention rain in the forecast. On that front, advantage Minnesota.
Packers run defense is a liability.
All that said, when time expires the scoreboard will read a Packers win.
Packers 24 Vikings 20
Kevin Gibson
Kevin Gibson:Can anyone stop the Green Bay Packers offense we all witnessed on Sunday
With Aaron Rodgers getting plenty of time to throw, receivers coming open and Rodgers hitting his marks, it’s a scary thing to behold for an opposing defensive coordinator. Fortunately for the Vikings, they know they have an offense that can run the ball. Of course, pretty much everyone runs on the Packers these days.
The visitors are also fortunate that none of their quarterbacks has the last name Cutler. If Teddy Bridgewater plays, the Packers have their hands full. If it’s Christian Ponder, I’m feeling a solid defensive outing with a couple of game-changing turnovers going the Packers’ way.
Flip a coin.
Packers 33 Vikings 24
Kenn Korb
Kenn Korb: It has to be noticed that prime-time games as a whole have been seeming to lack quality recently. That goes especially true for the Thursday night games, which give teams little time to recover and prepare from the previous weekend. The games have consistently seemed to end up as an ugly combination of sloppiness and blowouts, and there is no reason to expect this to end up any differently; besides some flashes of greatness these teams haven’t exactly played consistently strong football as of yet.
Both offenses are coming off of great performances, albeit in different manners; Green Bay passed the ball all over Chicago in their win, while Minnesota ran at will over Atlanta. The defenses will be the question marks here. Can Clay Matthews and Co. fix their horrid bottom-ranked run-defense woes against a team built for running the ball even without Adrian Peterson? Can the previously-maligned Vikings-D pressure Rodgers up front and hold their own with a suspect secondary in tow?
I think the answer for each is…no. The Pack have shown nothing so far that would let me think they could stop a poodle running up the field, much less the running game of a team where that is a strength. And Minnesota, while impressing with a win against the Falcons, did have the good fortune of getting a team that is not only marketably worse on the road but ended up down to a TE playing right tackle.
End of the day expect each team’s strengths to take turns being spotlighted for stretches — with plenty of bone-head mistakes being made on each end as well — but the team led by the better quarterback will manage to pull his team ahead by a decent margin towards the end for the final score.
Green Bay 34 Minnesota 22
Coalter Hansen
Coalter Hansen: Now thats what I’m talking about!
The Packers finally look alive on offense, which is a refreshing sight for our sore eyes. If only they could figure out that defense …
But enough of that already.
The game is expected to be played in the rain, which can make things interesting.
I think it will be a little sloppy on both sides but the Packers should be able to pull out a win.
Hopefully they can hold the thunder and lightning combo of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon at bay, but the run defense is as soggy as the field will be.
Packers 27 Vikings 17
Josh McPeak
Josh McPeak: Christian Ponder or Teddy Bridgewater?
R-E-L-A-X – who cares?
Aaron Rodgers has his second straight lights out game. McCarthy will also look to implement a healthy dose of Eddie Lacy and James Starks.
The lights will be on at Lambeau for this “Prime Time” game, but Rodgers may put them out very quickly. In their first team effort of the season the Packers will ride high into their extended break.
Packers 35 Vikings 13
Kevin Dickens
Kevin Dickens: This is a short week and like Josh Sitton, I also hate Thursday games. I think the matchups are skewed by the quick turnaround. Each Thursday this season has featured a blowout because it looks like there are teams clearly more prepared for the other.
With that said, I don’t expect this week to be a change.
Coming off a monster performance and a short week I would expect the Packers’ offense to still be on fire against a subpar Minnesota defense. With Chad Greenway set to sit out this should be the game the Packers get their rushing attack back on schedule.
Eddie Lacy needs this game more than anybody to regain that mojo from last year’s rookie performance. And with James Starks not seeing the girls last week, you should see #44 with a healthy dose of action this game.
I know everyone wants to jump all over the defense. They gave up yardage in heavy increments but they didn’t allow points in the second half.
They made crucial adjustments.
They were willing to deal with the heavy yardage on the ground but I think Dom Capers knew he would have to win the aerial battle against Jay Cutler and he did. He needs to be creative against Teddy Bridgewater or Christian Ponder. Make things difficult for either signal caller.
With that said, Packers roll.
Aaron Rodgers has thrown 27 TDs against 4 interceptions versus the Vikings. Another masterful performance should follow.
Packers 41 Vikings 24
Darryl Krejci
Darryl Krejci: The power of the tutu will lead the Pack to a victory over the Queens.
The defense will play better … they can’t get any worse, can they?
Eddie Lacy breaks out of his slump and will rush for 153 yards and a score. Aaron Rodgers will light it up with a passer rating of infinity and four touchdown passes.
The final score will send the Vikings home crying, as usual.
Packers 38 Vikings 13
Doug Etten
Doug Etten: Let’s be honest – Green Bay’s defense has a lot to be desired. They’re ranked nearly dead last in total defense (only four teams have allowed more yards from scrimmage this season), have given up a total of 98 first downs (only Jacksonville with 102 is worse) and are only one of three teams in the league allowing teams to convert on third down at a better than 50 percent rate.
Minnesota’s offense is most definitely not going to come into this game thinking they’ll struggle moving the ball, nor should they.
This to me has “trap game” written all over it.
Green Bay’s coming off a swagger-gaining, somewhat cocky win over a Jay Cutler, mistake-laden game in Chicago. Minnesota is still flying under the radar, and have a quarterback who’s not like those flashy, attention-grabbing run first QBs that have preceded him in the league.
Green Bay is expected to win, but Minnesota doesn’t care – they’re coming to rain on our parade!
Green Bay needs to right the ship on defense and they need to do it this week if they want to identify something with the top tier teams in the league.
Minnesota knows that there is really no expectation out of them anymore this season, and is using that as a floatation device while the Packers are treading water in Levis jeans and a suit coat.
I really can’t see Green Bay losing at home to Minnesota. Especially when Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss, Jared Allen, Robert Smith or Adrian Peterson aren’t suiting up.
Pack wins in an ugly, rain-soaked affair.
Packers 19 Vikings 17
Jerry Bulone
Jerry Bulone: The Dom Capers-led defense can make anyone look good, and that includes the likes of Teddy Bridgewater.
Even a Vikings offense minus AP will still score points Thursday.
However, Mike McCarthy has woken up from a play calling funk and will let Rodgers do his thing. I just don’t think Minnesota has enough talent on defense to stop Rodgers at Lambeau, especially after the Packers were embarrassed their last nationally-televised game.
Packers 31 Vikings 27
Travis Pipes
Travis Pipes: Minnesota travels to Lambeau Field for their initial meeting with Green Bay tonight and feature a pair of phenom rookies – quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and running back Jerrick McKinnon – but will have their work cut out.
The Packers are coming off a dominating road win at Chicago and look to have regained their poise on offense. Expect head coach Mike McCarthy to turn to the running game early in this contest in an attempt to get sophomore rusher Eddie Lacy on track. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers shoud have his way with things in the passing game.
Defensively, embattled defensive coordinator Dom Capers looks to build momentum off the Bears’ win – a game in which they forced three interceptions – by generating pressure on Bridgewater and running complicated blitzes to throw the timing off of the Vikings’ attack. Cornerback Tramon Williams and linebacker Jamari Lattimore will be critical in determing whether or not this game stays close.
If the defense overall takes better pursuit angles, wrap up ball carriers and force a few turnovers then things should turn out nicely for the home team.
Packers 36 Minnesota 19
Jim Katorski: The all-important “team chemistry” is coming together for the Packers, and there’s no better team than Minnesota to practice on. Aaron Rodgers needs to tune up the hurry-up offense, to build confidence for him and the whole crew.
When they rock, the Packers roll, and they will be rocking tonight. They need to stop the sea-saw routine and come out playing to win every week. Against the Vikings, we should see GB score 40 points, If they roll. If they lose, it’s a long, long season, and Mike McCarthy would soon come under fire. Ray Rhodes was cut after .500 season, so MM had better get things looking up again.
He will.
Mike Daniels has been an unsung hero for the front-7 coming together, along with the up and coming Julius Peppers: The two of them are setting the molds as examples for the defense.
The interactions are coming together up front, in adjusting to the new 4-3/3-4. I loved to see the backfield (Ha Ha Clinton-Dix) and LBs get rolling along last week. The D-backs may be the best since Adderley and Willie Wood.
Look for more of the same today, with the picks and forced fumbles, you gotta love that attack defense when they dominate and control the line.
Packers 42 Vikings 31
Ray Rivard
Ray Rivard: Does Green Bay even have a defense? If they do, it seems they’ve missed the bus to the games over the past month.
I suspect that will be the case again tonight as the Green Bay Packers play host to the Minnesota Vikings.
Thank God for Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. I expect they will turn things up one notch higher from their rampage at Chicago this past Sunday.
We will most likely see a heavy dose of Eddie Lacy with some James Starks sprinkled in tonight as the Packers try once again to get their rush game restarted.
In addition, with third wide receiver Jarrett Boykin on the shelf for this game, expect to see more of Davante Adams who just might have a breakout game tonight – along with rookie tight end Richard Rodgers.
It will be wet, it will be cold.
No problem for Aaron Rodgers who will continue to light up defensive backfields along with the scoreboard.
Packers 35 Vikings 20