Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers: Who rules the North?

No Cook, no problem.

This should be a great game and could also decide the winner of NFC north. Some other benefits like the first-round bye in the playoffs could also be on the line here. Green Bay Packers are currently the ones holding the edge over their arch-rivals from Minnesota. They won the first matchup earlier this season, but this Vikings team grew a lot since then. If I can recall correctly, back then there was a lot of criticism regarding the Kirk Cousins' play and the one-dimensional (run-heavy) offense. Dalvin Cook actually gashed the Packers defense for almost 200 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. But it was not enough to come back from falling behind 0-14 early in the game and Cousins throwing an interception late in the red zone.

Luckily for the Packers, they won't be seeing Dalvin Cook in this game. Vikings' starting running back is out with a shoulder injury and might miss the rest of the regular season. But in my opinion, it was not only Cook's quality that helped him propel to those numbers in that first game. It also had a lot to do with the Packers' run defense that is among the worst in the league, allowing 4.6 yards per carry

Healthy Packers

That is why I don't think the Vikings will be missing Cook too much. They have a couple of solid backs waiting for their opportunity. Especially Mattison showed a lot of potential in the limited playing time that he was getting behind Cook. The criticism regarding Kirk Cousins and the passing game have quieted down with Minnesota scoring 27+ points in 4 out of their last 5 games. They are balanced and efficient, which might be a tall task for the Packers defense.

They were putting pressure on Packers for that division lead with 4 wins in their last 5 games, but Packers managed to match that record easily. Green Bay is not dealing with too many injuries at the moment, which is a big plus this deep into the season.

Vikings vs Packers best bet

Looking at this matchup, I believe that both teams can exploit opposing defense in certain areas. Vikings can obviously run the ball right down the middle, while Green Bay is always a threat in the passing game. In a controlled environment of US Bank Stadium, I believe both offenses can put some points on the board. Vikings defense does look really good on paper, but they have a soft spot at the corner, which might surprise someone. Xavier Rhodes was one of the top corners for many years in this league, but he is not playing up to par this year. He's been struggling with elite opposition this season and he'll have his hands full against Davante Adams, who caught 7 passes for 107 yards in week 2 vs Minnesota.