Thursday Night Football Schedule 2014: TV, Live Stream for Vikings vs. Packers

After four straight weeks of blowouts, an NFC North showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field will hopefully provide some excitement on Thursday Night Football. 

On paper, it certainly looks like a good matchup. The Vikings are a surprise 2-2 team after putting up 41 points against Atlanta last week. Teddy Bridgewater looked good in his first NFL start with 317 passing yards and a rushing touchdown but didn't practice early in the week, due to an ankle injury. 

The Packers were finally able to relax, at least for one week, after Aaron Rodgers threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns against Chicago. Whether that means they are back is impossible to say because the Bears defense isn't scaring anyone, but at least we were reminded of why we like Green Bay to begin with. 

We've got all the information you need to find the Vikings vs. Packers on your television or computer as well as the biggest question facing each team before their Thursday night clash. 

Where: Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin

When: Thursday, October 2

Start Time: 8:25 p.m. ET

Watch: CBS and NFL Network

Live Stream: NFL.com

Spread: Packers (-10); Over/Under: 47.5

Note: Spread via Odds Shark

Vikings	Packers
QB Teddy Bridgewater (Ankle), Questionable	LB Sam Barrington (Hamstring), Questionable
LB Chad Greenway (Hand/Rib), Doubtful	DT Josh Boyd (Knee), Questionable
TE Kyle Rudolph (Abdomen/Groin), Out	WR Jarrett Boykin (Groin), Questionable
CB Captain Munnerlyn (Illness), Probable	LB Brad Jones (Quadricep), Questionable
RB Jerick McKinnon (Ankle), Probable	LB Clay Matthews (Groin), Probable
CB Josh Robinson (Hamstring), Probable	-

Biggest Question For Minnesota

What's going to happen at the quarterback position?

Jim Mone/Associated Press

With Bridgewater's ankle leaving his status for the game unclear, the Vikings face the possibility of entering the game with Christian Ponder as their starting quarterback. The good news is Ponder has starting experience. The bad news is he's Christian Ponder. 

Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported on Monday that Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said Bridgewater is doing "a lot better" and there was nothing bad on the MRI:

Even if Bridgewater is playing, you wonder whether he will be able to move around the pocket and scramble the way he did against Atlanta. That means the Vikings will need to turn to their running game for success, which isn't a bad problem to have. 

Minnesota ranks eighth in rushing yards per game this season (134.8 yards), though Jerick McKinnon is also dealing with ankle issues that could limit his ability against the Packers. Matt Vensel of The Minneapolis Star Tribune noted that Zimmer is looking at McKinnon as the change-of-pace guy right now:

We'll see how long that lasts, as Matt Asiata is averaging 3.4 yards per carry despite having three rushing touchdowns. 

One benefit of not knowing what exactly is going to happen with Bridgewater is it may force Zimmer to get Cordarrelle Patterson into the offense. The thrilling playmaker has cooled off considerably since Week 1, with just 11 offensive touches in the last three games and no touchdowns, though he's still averaging 30.8 yards per kickoff return. 

The Vikings were able to put up 41 points against Atlanta last week without Patterson being much of a factor, but the Falcons defense looks like the worst in football. Green Bay's defense isn't in the elite category, but it certainly isn't as bad as what Minnesota played last week. 

When you have to manufacture ways to score points, using your best playmaker is critical. Bridgewater showed great poise in the pocket last week and made Jarius Wright (eight receptions, 132 yards) a fantasy sleeper, so there are weapons for Minnesota to play with. 

That said, if Bridgewater is limited and Aaron Rodgers is on the other side, I want Patterson getting at least 10 touches in this game. 

Biggest Question For Green Bay

Have we seen the real Green Bay Packers?

The Vikings' strength on offense is running the ball. The Packers' weakness on defense is up front, and the run-stopping has been terrible through four weeks. In fact, Green Bay has the worst run defense in the NFL, with 176 yards allowed per game. 

Last week, Matt Forte had his first 100-yard game of the season and the Bears ran for 235 yards as a team after having a total of 106 the previous two games against San Francisco and New York. 

The Packers weren't hurt by Chicago's efforts on the ground, because Jay Cutler remembered that he's supposed to make bad decisions and threw two interceptions, but against the right opponents, that inept defense is going to get beat up. 

It happened against Seattle in Week 1, with the Seahawks running for 207 yards. The Jets ran for 147 yards in Week 2. Even Detroit, which ranks 25th in rushing yards at 87.3 per game, broke the 100-yard barrier in Week 3. 

We assume because Rodgers is under center that the Packers are always going to be Super Bowl contenders. While it's certainly easier to win a title with an elite quarterback, Neil Paine of FiveThirtyEight wrote prior to Week 4 that Rodgers wasn't playing up to snuff:

"

But this year, Green Bay is scoring only 18 points per game, and Rodgers ranks just 18th among qualified quarterbacks in adjusted net yards per attempt (ANY/A) thus far. Granted, that number has come against an above-average slate of pass defenses — headlined by the Legion of Boom opening night — but he’s still only 10th in the league if we use the ANY/A allowed by each opponent last year to set up an expected level of performance in each game.

"

Everyone in Packerland was able to relax for one week following a victory, but we may have learned more about Chicago's defense than anything Green Bay did. This isn't to dismiss Rodgers, who is still great at his job, but he might not be the rock-solid best quarterback in the league we remember. 

It also doesn't help that Eddie Lacy has been missing in action this season. The second-year running back was supposed to ease the burden on Rodgers' shoulders but has managed to rack up just 161 yards and one touchdown in four games. 

As Katie Nolan of Fox Sports astutely pointed out on Twitter, Lacy has fewer touchdowns this season than J.J. Watt:

The assumption was Lacy was struggling because the Packers had to face tough run defenses in Seattle, New York and Detroit in the first three weeks, but he had 48 yards against a Bears defense that allows 4.7 yards per carry. 

One week doesn't change an entire month's worth of issues that have come up for the Packers, though things should get better now that they are moving into an easier part of the schedule. It's just hard to see this team, based on these results and the talent on the roster, being a serious Super Bowl threat. 

Prediction

Despite the issues with Green Bay's start to the season, there's no doubt the Packers are the better team in this matchup. Playing on a short week hasn't made for good football to watch, but home teams are 3-1 so far. Look for that trend to continue behind another strong game from Rodgers. 

Packers 27, Vikings 17

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