Coming off a much-needed 27-20 victory over the New York Giants, the Green Bay Packers now face the most critical stretch of the season, as four of their next five games will be contested against their fellow franchises from the NFC North. And that fifth matchup is no picnic either, as they'll head to the Mile High City in Week 15 for a date with the Denver Broncos. But Matt LaFleur & Co. can't even begin to start thinking about that one just yet.
Up first for the Packers on this five-game slate is their first matchup of the season with the rival Minnesota Vikings, who have lost four of their last five and are hanging on by a thread in the NFC playoff picture after dropping to 4-6 last Sunday with a heartbreaking last-second loss to the Chicago Bears.
The biggest storyline surrounding Minnesota in recent weeks has easily been the less-than-stellar play of young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has shown flashes of brilliance at times but has been wildly inconsistent overall in his first five NFL starts. The most accurate passer in the Big Ten and the sixth-most accurate passer in his final year at Michigan in 2023, with a completion percentage of 72.3, the 22-year-old has connected on just 52.9 percent of his throws with the Vikings while averaging just 168.4 yards per game, with six touchdowns against eight interceptions.
An interesting trend that has emerged, however, one the Packers are obviously hoping doesn't continue at Lambeau Field on Sunday, is that McCarthy has fared far better on the road than he has at home, going 2-0 outside the Land of 10,000 Lakes, with wins at Soldier Field and Ford Field, and 0-3 away from the friendly confines of U.S. Bank Stadium, where he was booed last week, by the way.
The Packers can't let J.J. McCarthy get comfortable at Lambeau Field
In his three games at home, those being a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, a Week 10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and the aforementioned loss to Chicago last week, McCarthy completed 49.5 percent of his passes, averaging 185.3 yards per game and throwing two touchdowns against six interceptions, thus earning an abysmal passer rating of 48.4.
But in his two games on the road, those being the Vikings' Week 1 win over the Bears and their Week 9 win over the Lions, he completed a combined 60.0 percent of his passes and threw for exactly 143 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in each game, thus earning a much more respectable 89.7 passer rating. McCarthy also added a rushing score in each of the victories.
Pretty wild, right?
Now, it certainly has to be noted that McCarthy's success in those two wins came in bursts. In Week 1, of course, all three of the touchdowns for which he accounted came in the fourth quarter. But up until that furious comeback, he was struggling something fierce.
And against the Lions a few weeks back, he threw both of his touchdown passes in the first quarter, adding his rushing score roughly midway through the third.
So, it'll undoubtedly be important for the Green Bay defense not to let McCarthy get comfortable, as he can be dangerous when he gets on a roll. The good news for the Packers on that front is that they should be able to get after him, as the Vikings' offensive line ranks 22nd in the NFL in pass block win rate. So, Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary could very well get plenty of opportunities to feast a few days before Thanksgiving.