Packers-Vikings: Three Must-Win Matchups
Fictional baseball manager Lou Brown once said that winning three games in a row constituted a winning streak.
The Green Bay Packers are on the opposite end of that spectrum, having lost three in a row.
The Packers have not played at Lambeau Field in a month and, coincidentally, have not won in a month.
The last time they won a game, they needed an 18-point fourth quarter to eek past the New Orleans Saints in the home opener.
The vibes surrounding the team at that point in the season were at an all-time high.
Since then, the Packers have hit what they hope is rock bottom. They were blown out at home by the Detroit Lions in late September, and followed that with back-to-back losses at the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos.
On Sunday, the Packers will be back at Lambeau Field to face the NFC North-rival Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings’ season is trending in the opposite direction of Green Bay. They started the season 0-3 but have won three of their last four, including a win on Monday night over the vaunted San Francisco 49ers.
If you believe in momentum, all of that appears to be on Minnesota's side.
If the Packers are going to stop their losing streak, here are the three matchups they must win.
Jordan Love vs. Brian Flores
The Vikings made some drastic changes following their 13-4 year in 2022.
One of the biggest was jettisoning former Packers defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and bringing in Brian Flores.
Flores is highly touted as a defensive guru, and while the numbers are not gaudy this season, there is little doubt he's getting more out of his personnel in Minnesota than Joe Barry is in Green Bay.
The Vikings are 16th in defensive DVOA. That's dead-on average for a group that does not have a ton of talent on its side.
For reference sake, the Packers are 25th.
The Vikings bring in an aggressive defense that has blitzed more than any team in the league.
That might cause some concern with such a young Green Bay offense.
This is where Jordan Love comes in.
Jordan Love vs. the Vikings last season.
Photo by Tork Mason/USA Today Sports Images
Make no mistake, Love is a first-year starter, but he is not a rookie.
One of the benefits of drafting Love and allowing him to sit for three seasons was that he could learn some tricks of the trade behind Aaron Rodgers.
The mastery at the line of scrimmage is one of those things that Love should have picked up on during his time on the bench.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said the Vikings' pressure packages can limit what they're able to do offensively.
"Pull back on what you're doing and expect pressure," Stenavich said.
Love vs. Flores is going to be a battle of wits. Love has to get the Packers in the right protections and make good decisions with the ball when he's under pressure.
If he can't do that, the Packers' offense is going to be in for another long day.
Christian Watson vs. Vikings DBs
The Packers have yet to have any of their young playmakers have a breakout performance.
That's almost hard to believe considering that great offense has become the norm around Green Bay, but it's true. The Packers don't have a single 100-yard rusher or 100-yard receiver this season, and Love has yet to pass for 300 yards.
They're the only team in the NFL without a breakout performance like that.
If the Packers are going to get back on track, they're going to need the heavy lifting to be done by their offense.
The points-per-game stats are nice, but the rest of the Packers' defense has struggled. That makes their performance to date likely a mirage that is going to regress to the mean at some point.
What is the fastest way for Green Bay to find success through the air?
The answer probably lies in their fastest and most talented receiver.
Christian Watson's breakout performance in the middle of last year gave everyone hope that the Packers had found someone to replace the void that Davante Adams left when he took his talents to Las Vegas.
Green Bay needs more production from its top receiver
USA Today
Watson hasn't gotten on track this season.
He had a big play in Las Vegas, but that is surrounded by a clunker against Denver and an injury-shortened game against Detroit.
"I think my number was called way too many times tonight for the amount of plays I made," Watson said after the team's 17-13 loss to the Raiders.
"We put a lot on Christian's plate because we know what he is capable of," coach Matt LaFleur said after the team's 19-17 loss to the Broncos.
The reality of the situation is Green Bay has a lot of its eggs in Watson's basket. He is their biggest big-play threat in a league that relies on big plays.
They need more from him, and that needs to start on Sunday against a Vikings secondary that is short on proven talent.
Defensive Backs vs. Jordan Addison
Justin Jefferson will not play on Sunday.
“He’s still on IR, right?” Barry joked this week.
Indeed, the Vikings' all-world wide receiver is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury that will keep him out at least through next week.
The same could be true for Jaire Alexander. Alexander practiced on Wednesday but sat again on Thursday.
LaFleur was vague when asked about Alexander's back injury, but he clearly is concerned. Alexander has missed three games due to the injury and could be in jeopardy of missing Sunday's game, as well.
If he's out, the Packers will be down to Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon and a combination of rookies or guys they signed off the practice squad.
Without Jefferson, the Vikings still have a plethora of weapons that can hurt a defense, none bigger than first-round pick Jordan Addison.
Addison has emerged as a potential star for the Vikings. He's coming off a huge performance against San Francisco in which he caught seven passes for 123 yards and two scores. He has found the end zone six times this year and is emerging as a favorite target for Kirk Cousins.
Green Bay needs to contain him better than they did Denver’s Courtland Sutton last week.
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