Green Bay Packers 2017 schedule release: Five most important games of the 2017 Season
By Brad Miller
Rivalry in the Twin Cities: Packers at Vikings, Week 6
I’d be amiss if I didn’t include an NFC North team in this article because you can usually throw out the record in the bi-annual event. The Vikings-Packers rivalry seems to be more heated lately than the Packers-Bears have been. The teams have met 113 times with the Packers holding a 60-51-2 edge over the Norsemen.
The Vikings have won two of the past three games against the Pack and two years ago dethroned the Packers as NFC North champs. Don’t think that sat well with the Packers. They expect to own the NFC North every year and even though they made the playoffs that year they didn’t like playing second fiddle to their western foes.
Last year the Packers were the first visiting team to play in Minnesota’s brand new U.S. Bank Stadium. It was newly acquired QB Sam Bradford’s debut as well. Bradford outplayed Aaron Rodgers that night as he picked away at the Packers defense for 286 yards and two TDs. The Vikings prevailed with a 17-14 win to christen their new palace.
The Packers did end up having the last laugh by winning the second game and taking another NFC North crown. The north remembers right (for all you GoT fans out there).
It will be odd not seeing Adrian Peterson in the purple and yellow across the sidelines in this matchup. He has been a thorn in the Packers’ side for a long time.
The Vikings may have a QB controversy brewing heading into camp where last year’s starter Sam Bradford will get strong competition from the prior year’s starter Teddy Bridgewater — if he’s able to return from the serious knee injury that wiped out his 2016 campaign.
This year’s game in Minnesota could be pivotal in who ends up heading to the playoffs from the North. The Bears don’t look be ready to contend quite yet and although the Lions should be in the race, they never seem to put two good years together in a row.
It is always tough to play in Minneapolis but Green Bay cannot afford to play bad in this game if they hope to make it to the playoffs.