The Green Bay Packers enter Week 10 at 6-3, following an absolute blowout victory over the New England Patriots last week. Despite the record and great play, due to the NFC North's competitiveness, the Packers sit in last place. After a tough test last week, the Packers face an even tougher one on Sunday, as they host the Minnesota Vikings in what is yet another big divisional match.
For the Packers, it'll be a chance to bring their in-division record back up to .500 and head into the bye week with a win. For the Vikings, it'll be the first game under a brand-new quarterback, as the once-undefeated Vikings look to avoid losing their third straight game.
Let's take a look at some of the biggest things to watch as the Packers look to notch another win.
3 things to watch for in Packers' Week 9 game vs. Vikings
1. Kirk Cousins
Following a 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, in which Carson Wentz threw just 81 passing yards and two interceptions, the Vikings traded for Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Cousins has a long history with the Vikings, as he was the team's quarterback from 2018-2023. As such, he has a huge history with the Packers, and his arrival does dramatically alter this week's game.
Prior to the Vikings trading for Cousins, Wentz looked like one of the worst quarterbacks in football and would've had to step up and play a big game this week. Instead, Cousins has arrived, and while his time after Minnesota has largely been a struggle, he has revitalized his career in 2026.
So far this year, Cousins has thrown 20 touchdowns with the Raiders and looks to be playing at a much higher level than he was over the past two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Cousins also has a history with Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings, so it's not exactly shocking to think he will slot in pretty quickly.
However, it'll still be a short turnaround for Cousins, who only has a few days to prepare for the game. Regardless, he'll be the biggest thing to watch for the Packers, especially when it comes to their defense.
2. Week 1 woes
The Packers and Vikings will meet for the second time this season on Sunday, having met in the season opener, largely a game Green Bay would like to forget. In Week 1, the Packers looked ready to run up the score on Minnesota, racing out to a 22-10 lead, all while the Vikings saw then-starting quarterback Kyler Murray exit with a concussion.
Instead, the Packers absolutely imploded. They failed to stop Carson Wentz from scoring on a number of drives, and their offensive line couldn't do anything against the Vikings, who continued to blitz on nearly every down. In total, Jordan Love was pressured nearly 80 percent of his dropbacks, and the Vikings scored 22 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 39-22 victory.
Obviously, the Packers will be hoping to avoid these repeat problems this time around. In order to do so, they'll have to protect much better up front. It's no secret that the Vikings will likely be looking to blitz the Packers and test their offensive line, so making sure the new-look front holds up well will be key.
The Packers have also struggled to find wins in the division over the season, and have put themselves in a hole of sorts with a 1-2 record to start.
3. A new RB1
Josh Jacobs resumed his role as the Packers' starting running back when he returned a few weeks ago, but he is out again after fracturing his finger against the Patriots. As a result, Jacobs is out for a few weeks after getting surgery, and the team will now turn to a familiar face for its top running back spot.
Kaleb Johnson, whom the team traded for ahead of the season, stepped into the presumptive starting role against the Patriots and may not look back. Behind a surprisingly adept offensive line, Johnson ran for 68 yards as well as a touchdown.
This week, it looks like Kaleb will once again be the starter, and if the Packers can get some semblance of a running game going, it'll make the Vikings much less likely to blitz on every down.
Biggest X-factors for the Packers in Week 10
Kaleb Johnson
As noted above, Johnson will play a huge role on Sunday. After a surprisingly effective day against the Patriots, he'll need another one. To date, pretty much no Packers running back has been able to string together multiple good performances.
One thing Johnson has going for him, though, is that he is capable in the protection game. Kaleb has been sound at picking up defenders and helping out the offensive line, and will most certainly be leaned on in that regard this week.
Jordan Morgan
The entire offensive line struggled in Week 1. However, left tackle Jordan Morgan struggled significantly. He gave up five pressures to Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner and also allowed three quarterback hits, all while posting the lowest pass-block win rate for the week, according to ESPN.
The good news for the Packers is that Morgan has improved since that Week 1 mishap. Per PFF, he has allowed only one sack and four pressures over the past four games.
Of course, this week's rematch against the Vikings will be the ultimate test. Minnesota continues to boast an absolutely ferocious defense, and Turner is right at the top of that group as one of the team's best players. It'll be up to Morgan to hold up this week, and one of the biggest factors in whether the Packers come away with a win.
Green Bay's secondary
So far, the Packers' defense has been a major bright spot. The Packers kickstarted the Week 1 game with an interception against Kyler Murray. After that, though, they watched as the Packers' offense tipped the scales the wrong way in terms of takeaways.
If the Packers want to come out on top, it'll likely need its secondary to force some mistakes. The defense is coming off a stellar game in that department, forcing four takeaways against the Patriots last week.
The secondary will need to, at the very least, make some stops against the Vikings' offense, especially as a better quarterback steps in to play with the team's high-level players.
Packers' keys to winning against Vikings in Week 10
Limit the blitz
Perhaps the biggest key of all for the Packers will be limiting the blitz. It's unlikely the Vikings will deploy the exact same strategy as in Week 1 and just blitz the Packers' offensive line on nearly every single play, but they will almost certainly keep the pressure up throughout the game.
If the Packers want to win, they'll simply need to keep themselves from getting overwhelmed at the line and make sure that the Vikings don't get momentum going on their side in that regard.
Keep up the pressure on mistakes
Forcing mistakes on the defensive end has been a major part of the Packers' success this year. That will have to continue this week, especially as the Vikings turn to a quarterback who has performed much better than Wentz or Murray.
Green Bay ranks second in the NFL for takeaways and will need to keep forcing them this week to gain the upper hand. On top of that, the offense will need to reward said mistakes by scoring points off of takeaways, something they did very well last week.
Take what you're given
Last week, the Packers were able to do pretty much whatever they wanted to on offense. This week, it's fairly unlikely that will remain the same. Although Jordan Love had a stellar game in Week 1 against Brian Flores and his defensive plan before the team's implosion, the Vikings have had extreme success in limiting opposing offenses and their scoring.
Simply put, the Packers would be better served not going big-play hunting on every single play of the game. Take what you're given, even if it's shorter routes, and wear down the Vikings' defense along the way, similar to what the Buffalo Bills did this past week.
Add us as a preferred source on Google