Five players to watch for Packers Week 12 vs. Vikings
By Jesse Fry
Five players to watch for the Green Bay Packers in Week 12.
The Packers‘ playoff lives are hanging by a thread and face a must-win game versus the division-rival Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers are 0-5 on the road and 1-1-1 in the division, and need this game to start a serious push towards the playoffs. Sunday night’s game could be just the thing this team is looking for.
The importance of this game should not be under-appreciated. The Packers will not be mathematically eliminated with a loss, but to have the best chance at making the playoffs, via division winner or wild-card, a win Sunday will be the first step in the right direction.
A win would also give the Packers their first on the road and could serve as the galvanizing moment they have been looking for.
The last time these two teams met in September, the game ended in a very unfulfilling tie. It was also the first game Aaron Rodgers played since his knee injury and his mobility was extremely limited in the game.
This time around, Rodgers is as close to 100 percent as he has been since then, though the team is still searching for its rhythm. This also marks Rodgers’ first trip to the stadium that pretty much ended his 2017 season.
As a team the Packers must figure out a way to win this game. The Vikings are a team that will be competing with the Packers for a playoff spot, and having lost every other possible tiebreaker game, the Packers need this one.
Green Bay is coming into the game banged up. Kevin King (hamstring) and Bashaud Breeland‘s (groin) status is in doubt. Mike Daniels (foot) may be done for the year and Jimmy Graham will be playing with a hampered hand with a broken thumb.
The Packers will need contributions from all levels of the offense and defense, but here are the five players to watch heading into the game.