The Green Bay Packers have won five of their last six games, and heading into the middle of the month of November, they are right on the doorstep of taking the top spot in the NFC North.
A Week 10 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings was already shaping up to be one of the best games of the entire week across the NFL landscape, but the Vikings went out and traded for Kirk Cousins to address the weakest position on their roster.
With Jordan Love looking absolutely dialed in lately, and the Packers' defense creating takeaways at a borderline alarming rate, this team could not be playing its best football at a better time.
There is so much at stake in this one, considering the Packers have already dropped one to the Vikings this season, and we're going to manifest some bold predictions (spoilers?) that would undoubtedly deliver the Packers' seventh win of the season.
Bold predictions for Packers-Vikings includes another big game from Matthew Golden and Christian Watson
1. Matthew Golden & Christian Watson each rack up 100 yards receiving
The Packers have had absolutely zero problem getting both Matthew Golden and Christian Watson involved in the passing attack so far this season.
And let's make something clear: Matthew Golden and Christian Watson each having 100-plus receiving yards is not, in itself, a bold prediction. These guys are very capable of doing that on a week-to-week basis, and they did so last week in New England. It's the opponent that makes this a bold prediction.
The Packers are the only team so far this season to eclipse 300 passing yards against the Vikings, which they did back in Week 1. Golden had 95 yards in that game compared to 147 for Watson. The only other game in which the Vikings allowed 200 passing yards by a team this season was on Monday night against the Buffalo Bills.
The Packers' elite receiver duo is going to make a statement in this game against the league's second-best pass defense.
2. Packers cash in at least three red zone attempts
Part of the fun of these bold predictions every week is looking at what an opponent is actually great at and trying to dream up ways the Packers can rewrite the script.
The Vikings currently have the No. 1 red zone defense in the NFL. They only allow teams to score touchdowns 26.3 percent of the time, and that's assuming your offense can even get in the red zone in the first place. The Vikings also allow the second-fewest yards per drive (25.7) of any team in the NFL right now.
Naturally, the Packers are going to flip the script.
It may seem conservative, but cashing in three red zone trips against any NFL defense is not easy. In order to convert three, you need to have at least three, and getting there is half the battle. Punching it in when you get there requires elite levels of execution against this Vikings' defense, which is going to be out for blood after losing back-to-back games.
This one isn't necessarily about the how (passing or rushing; player-specific), but the what. The Packers are going to find a way to execute against the Vikings and deflate that defense.
3. Packers defense forces Kirk Cousins to throw at least two interceptions
In his first game back with the Vikings, Kirk Cousins is going to be drinking through a fire hose a little bit.
Even though Cousins is a veteran who has seen pretty much everything out there on the field, and even though he's on his second stint with the Vikings, there is still going to be an acclimation period.
And it also just so happens that his first game with the Vikings is going to be against an absolute buzzsaw of a defense. Jonathan Gannon's unit is up to a whopping 19 takeaways so far this season, which is surprisingly only the second-most in the NFL.
The Packers have had at least two takeaways in each of their last six games, including four in their road win against the Patriots. That included three interceptions off quarterback Drake Maye.
You know who else just threw three picks last week? Kirk Cousins.
He has now thrown eight interceptions so far this season, and his interception rate of 2.5 percent is tied for the second-highest in his career since becoming a starter.
Yes, Cousins was slinging it for the Raiders, but it's also true that he was putting the ball in harm's way a bit. The Packers will take advantage with at least two interceptions in Week 10.
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