Packers can clinch NFC’s No. 1 seed with win over Vikings
By Joseph Rowan
The Green Bay Packers have already secured a playoff spot with the NFC North division win but they have a chance to secure the #1 seed in the NFC with a win over the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers already have the best record in the NFC at 12-3, but with the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the Arizona Cardinals, all the Packers’ need to clinch the NFC #1 seed and a first-round bye is a win over Minnesota at Lambeau. If the Packers manage to beat the Vikings, they will secure their second #1 seed in the NFC in two consecutive years.
The loss to the Cardinals dropped the Cowboys to an 11-5 record and because there is only one game remaining in the 2021 season, the Packers can clinch the #1 seed by becoming 13-3. The Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also out of reach if the Packers win tonight because they both have more than three losses.
The first-round bye and home-field advantage is not clinched yet though, as the Packers have one of their three losses on the season to the Vikings and they lost to the Vikings at home last season.
The Vikings have explosive talent on offense such as Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook, who have proved to be troublesome for Green Bay over the past couple of years. The Vikings also should have a better record than they do as they have major offensive and defensive talent and most of their losses have come within one-score games.
In the previous meeting between these two teams, Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson combined for 251 yards and three touchdowns against Green Bay’s dominant secondary. The Week 17 matchup is different as Kirk Cousins is being replaced by Sean Mannion due to COVID-19 and it is being played in a freezing cold night in Green Bay.