Packers vs. Vikings position matchups: How they stack up
By Joe Olkives
The Green Bay Packers will travel to US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for a big NFC North division matchup. I will break it down position by position to show how these two teams stack up.
| MN | Position | GB |
| QB | X | |
| toss-up | RBs | toss-up |
| O- Line | X | |
| WRs | X | |
| Coaching | X | |
| X | Pass Rush | |
| X | Run Defense | |
| Pass Defense | X | |
| Special Teams | X |
Quarterbacks
It’s hard to debate this one. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is coming off a Week 5 NFL Player of the Week performance. Rodgers is clearly better than who the Vikings end up rolling out there this week. A healthy Sam Bradford had his way with the Packers defense last season, but with Bradford now ruled out, Case Keenum will have his hands full.
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Running backs
Prior to the Dalvin Cook injury the Vikings might have had the edge in this category. However, with the breakout performance of rookie Aaron Jones, the Packers might have found themselves a running back. Ty Montgomery was able to practice this week and he is expected to make his return this week. The duo of Jones and Montgomery could make for an interesting tandem.
Meanwhile, Latavius Murray and Jerrick McKinnon will handle the duties for the Vikings. McKinnon is a versatile back who has some shiftiness. He will catch the ball out of the backfield and is a guy to watch.
It is yet to be seen which team’s backfield will emerge as the superior group, but I like what I’ve seen from Aaron Jones coming off a 19-for-125- yard, 1 TD game.
Offensive line
It hasn’t been exactly pretty so far. The return of David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga at the tackle positions gives the Packers the stability they need. It’s probably not the day when Bakhtiari returns. Things will improve as this group gets healthier.
The Vikings line is much improved from last season. When you’re near the bottom in the league, that’ll happen.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 32 groups
Wide receivers
With the return of Michael Floyd, the Vikings may have a bit of a triple threat with Stefan Diggs and Adam Thielen. However, The Packers still get the edge here with a triple threat of their own. Diggs has been downgraded to out for the week. This gives the Packer’s the advantage this week.
There is no doubt the Vikings receiving corps is talented, However, the rapport Aaron Rodgers has with his group puts them far ahead of the Vikings due to lack of stability at the quarterback position and an overall younger, inexperienced group.
Pass rush
Vikings probably get the edge here with guys like Everson Griffin and rising star in Danielle Hunter. The Vikings have 12 sacks on the year compared to the Packers 11, but you can never count out the Packers’ Clay Matthews and Nick Perry.
Run defense
Vikings get the edge here with the experienced duo of Lance Kendrick and Anthony Barr. They are holding opposing offenses to 80 yards per game, and this speedy linebacker duo loves to get after the ball carrier. They stand behind run-stoppers Linval Joseph, and a solid rotation of talented big guys.
The Packers are clearly a better run-stopping team when Mike Daniels is in the mix. Now that he is back and healthy, Daniels and a young Kenny Clark should be able to improve off a respectable first handful of games.
Pass defense
The Vikings have the best player out of the secondary group in Xavier Rhodes. They tout young corner Trae Waynes, a young player who has had an up and down career, much like many of the Packers corners.
With the Packers going corner for the first two rounds of the last two drafts, they carry a lot of young talent. The sky is the limit for this group.
Both teams carry talented safeties. Harrison Smith for the Vikings. The duo of Morgan Burnett and Clinton-Dix back deep for the Packers.
Both of these team depend highly on the pass rush to help out the secondary. Even with Burnett out today, I think the Packers have the edge this week due to the match-ups up front and the escapability of Aaron Rodgers.
Summary
The Packers have the better and more experienced team in the areas that count. The Vikings have their hands full. With the recent news of Bradford and Diggs ruled out.
I got the Packers 26-13
Thanks to NFL.com for Stats and injury updates
Thanks for reading
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