Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers Matchup Preview (1/2/22): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers Matchup Preview (1/2/22)

What better way to ring in the new year than by watching Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers face off at Lambeau Field for this week’s Sunday night game. The last time these two teams played, the Minnesota Vikings won, handing the Green Bay Packers one of their three losses on the season. Despite having 467 yards of total offense, the Packers fell short on a last minute field goal. They are on a four-game winning streak since then, sitting at 12-3, atop the NFC North. A win here and a Cowboys loss would give them the No. 1 seed overall and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Vikings on the other hand are fighting for any sort of a chance at the postseason but last week’s loss to the Rams put them under .500 on the season which threatens this chance. This is a must win for them if they want to see the postseason.

Editor’s Note: Kirk Cousins was ruled out for Sunday night’s game. 

Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers Betting Odds

The Packers are a 6.5-favorite in this NFC North rivalry game. They are 11-4 ATS this year and 6-1 at Lambeau Field, where they have not been beaten yet this season. After covering in nine of their first ten games, they are 2-3 ATS in their last five games. The Vikings have also only covered twice in their last five games, contributing to their 8-7 record ATS. Both teams average over 25 points per game, and at an over/under of 47, this over should hit. Last time they played, the combined total was 65 points which exceeded the over/under by 18 points. 

Pulling off a victory last time they played was impressive; their offense is noteworthy, but the Vikings have nothing to show for on defense. Meanwhile, the Packers have threatening talent on both sides of the ball and have home field advantage this time, which they are 7-0 in this year. They’ll be seeking vengeance this week.

My prediction: Packers win 28-20, Packers cover, over 47

TV Schedule

Date: 1/2/22
Time: 8:20 PM ET
Location: Lambeau Field
TV Coverage: NBC

Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers Live Stream

Where can you watch Vikings vs. Packers online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Vikings vs. Packers Free Online Now.

Minnesota Vikings Analysis

The news of the week is that Justin Jefferson just broke the NFL record for the most receiving yards by a player in his first two seasons – 2,851 yards (and counting) to be exact. He accounts for 37% of all receiving yards and 25% of the entire offense. When they played the Packers in week 11, Jefferson had 169 yards and two touchdowns, contributing to their 4-2 winning record when he had over 100 yards. I expect the ball to be with him a lot. 

Kirk Cousins threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns against a good secondary last time these teams played. He may have to keep the ball in the air again this week as running back Dalvin Cook will be knocking the rust off and making a return from Covid quarantine. He did return to practice early this week though, which bodes well for him in terms of preparation. Adam Thielen underwent surgery on his ankle this week, which put an end to his 10-touchdown season. 

Despite having five fewer wins than the Packers, they have recorded more total yards, passing yards, and rushing yards than them. This is likely because while their offense is great, their defense is not so great. They allow the fourth-most passing and rushing yards in the league and the third-most total yards against them. No matter how good your offense is, it doesn’t mean much if you have a defense that keeps opponents in games. In their nine games since their bye week, they’ve allowed an average of 26 points against them per game. Offensive weapons like Rodgers, Davante Adams, A.J. Dillon, and Aaron Jones will terrorize this defense if they’re not careful. 

This team has tallied 44 sacks on the season, the second-most in the NFL, while only conceding 25, also the second-most, which gives them the best sack differential in the league. They sacked Rodgers twice in week 11.

Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart

QB: Kirk Cousins
RB1: Dalvin Cook
RB2: Alexander Mattison
WR1: Justin Jefferson
WR2: Adam Thielen
WR3: K.J. Osborn
TE1: Tyler Conklin
TE2: Luke Stocker

Green Bay Packers Analysis

The other big news of the week is that Aaron Rodgers is now Green Bay’s all-time leading touchdown passer. He has 445 in his career at Green Bay. Him and Davante Adams also hold the franchise touchdown pass combination record. 

Adams has his own record now too – he has caught at least 10 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns in eight games in his career, the most in NFL history. Last week against the Browns, he had two touchdowns and 114 yards and had nearly the same against the Vikings in week 11. He now has seven touchdowns in his last five games. He will burn the Minnesota secondary.

Aaron Jones missed their last game against the Vikings which contributed to their zero rushing touchdown, under-100 rushing yards performance. The Jones and Dillon combination will be there this week though, and will definitely cause problems for this defense that allows the fourth-most rushing yards per game and yards per rush. This offense takes good care of the football too, which isn’t helpful for Minnesota. Rodgers has thrown one interception in the last two months and they’ve had just 10 turnovers the entire season. 

Defensively, they have had a solid overall season – they allow the tenth-least passing yards per game and hold teams to just 331.2 total yards of offense per game. But last week against the Browns, despite sacking Baker Mayfield five times and picking him off another four, they allowed 218 rushing yards and 408 yards of total offense. With stats like that, you should be beating a team by more than two points. They also have the third worst third down conversion rate as a defense and allow 45% of third downs to be converted. This is the kind of the thing that can’t happen against a dangerous Vikings offense who have a running threat like Dalvin Cook.

Green Bay Packers Depth Chart

QB: Aaron Rodgers
RB1: AJ Dillon
RB2: Aaron Jones
WR1: Davante Adams
WR2: Marquez Valdes-Scantling
WR3: Allen Lazard
TE1: Josiah Deguara

Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers Daily Fantasy Picks

There aren’t a ton of under-the-radar picks for this week. The truth is, you have superstars on both teams and they will be targeted a lot. Justin Jefferson had 29.2 points last time these two teams played and Davante Adams had 23.4. Adams has the second-most projected points for this week and Jefferson has the fourth. They’ve both got threats on the ground as well – Dalvin Cook tallied 19.5 points against Green Bay in week 11 and has the third-most projected points this week. As good as Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon are, they don’t get in the endzone, which doesn’t bode well for fantasy.