Vikings-Packers Preview: Three Key Matchups to Watch on Sunday

Justin Jefferson will be looking to put up another big game against the Packers' secondary.

Regular season openers don't get much bigger than this. 

On Sunday afternoon, with most of the country watching, the Vikings are set to unveil their new schemes in Kevin O'Connell's first game as an NFL head coach. Their opponent: the Green Bay Packers, the hated border rivals with the two-time defending MVP and the coach who has won more games in his first three seasons (39) than anyone in league history.

It's just the first game of a 17-game season, but it'll set the tone for the NFC North race, which is expected to come down to these two teams. The winner will get an early leg up in the battle for the division title.

"I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t going to be a little extra excited, a little bit more than just any other game," O'Connell said. "This isn’t just any other game — it's my first game as a head coach, against a divisional rival. I’m well aware of the importance of this football game for our team."

Schematics and strategy and coaching will play a large role in this game, but it's ultimately going to come down to which's teams players get it done at a higher level.

Here are three key matchups to watch on Sunday.

Justin Jefferson vs. Jaire Alexander

The last time the Vikings and Packers faced off in Minneapolis, Justin Jefferson introduced himself to the rivalry. 

After having two quiet games against Green Bay as a rookie — one of them in his NFL debut, before he was a starter — Jefferson had one of the best games of his career. He caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns, coming a yard short of a three-TD day. His second touchdown gave the Vikings the lead late in the fourth quarter.

Watching these @JJettas2 highlights for the next 72 hours.

📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/Q71zCG6tHA

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 8, 2022

Jaire Alexander, the Packers' top cornerback and one of the premier players in the league at his position, didn't play in that game. He suffered a season-ending injury four games into the 2021 campaign. Jefferson did the majority of his work in that 169-yard outing against Eric Stokes, Kevin King, and current Vikings slot cornerback Chandon Sullivan.

Alexander is back healthy this year, meaning this is the first time we'll get to see both star players go at it since Jefferson's rookie year. It should be one of the better individual WR-CB matchups in the entire NFL all season. Jefferson is a borderline unstoppable force hoping to establish himself as the league's best receiver, and Alexander is a big, sticky cover corner who allowed a passer rating of just 68.3 on targets in his coverage in 2020, per PFF.

It'll also be fun to watch Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn going against players like Stokes and Rasul Douglas, but the Jefferson-Alexander battle has a chance to be one for the ages.

The Vikings' interior OL vs. the Packers' interior DL

One of the biggest remaining questions or weaknesses surrounding the Vikings heading into this season is seemingly an annual one in Minnesota: the state of the interior offensive line.

The Vikings decided not to address the center position this offseason despite Garrett Bradbury's persistent struggles in pass protection. At right guard, rookie Ed Ingram will be making his NFL debut. And at left guard, Ezra Cleveland will be looking to take a big leap forward in his third season.

Overall, it's a group that has a lot of athleticism and some upside at the guard spots, but it could be an area teams try to exploit, especially early in the season.

That could be an issue against the Packers. At least on paper, Green Bay's defense is loaded across the board, and it starts with Kenny Clark, Jarran Reed, and rookie Devonte Wyatt up front. If Clark and company are able to clog running lanes and generate consistent interior pressure, it'll limit what O'Connell and Kirk Cousins are able to do offensively.

"Z" and "D" vs. the Packers' tackles

Every player on both sides is going to be raring to go for this game, but if it means a little extra to one guy, it's Vikings outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith. He spent the last three seasons with the Packers and apparently wasn't thrilled with the way they treated him before they released him this offseason.

Smith says he signed with the Vikings, in part, because he'd get to play against the Packers twice a year. This is his first opportunity to enact revenge against his old team.

He won't be alone. Smith's new best friend is Danielle Hunter, who is one of the league's most physically dominant pass rushers when healthy. Hunter became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 50 career sacks, but has played in just eight of 33 games over the past two years. Smith is also coming off an injury that cost him almost all of last season.

So even beyond the revenge narrative for Smith, both of the Vikings' star OLBs will want to show that they're healthy and can still be dominant as they were when they finished first and second in the NFL in pressures in 2019. Expect defensive coordinator Ed Donatell to move Smith and Hunter all over the formation to target specific matchups, especially on obvious passing downs.

For the most part, though, they'll be lined up on both edges. And if Packers tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins — both of whom are dealing with injuries — are able to play, those matchups will make for fantastic viewing. Whether or not the Vikings can put pressure on Aaron Rodgers will go a long way towards determining the outcome of this game.

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