Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings: Complete Week 12 Preview for Green Bay

Scrap the records. 

Even with the Green Bay Packers’ (7-3) obvious superiority to the Minnesota Vikings (4-6), games played within the division are never a gimmie, especially those on the road. 

The previously winless Raiders’ 24-20 victory over the streaking Chiefs on Thursday Night Football proved that. 

Green Bay enters Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. ET matchup at TCF Bank Stadium riding an offensive hot streak the franchise has never seen, scoring at least 50 points in each of the last two games. As a result, the Packers have vaulted to No. 1 in scoring offense with 33.0 points per game. The team had previously scored 50-plus in just two games in franchise history entering the season. 

Minnesota, meanwhile, sits on the other end of the spectrum. The Vikings are 28th in scoring offense (18.1), 30th in yards per play (4.9) and 30th in points per drive (1.43). 

All signs point to another Packers rout, but there are no sure things in the NFL. 

Week 11 Recap

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Another game at Lambeau, another complete annihilation. 

Green Bay’s offense maintained its torrid pace in the state of Wisconsin, with the Packers jumping out to a 30-6 halftime lead en route to a 53-20 win over Mark Sanchez’s Philadelphia Eagles. For those counting at home, that’s a 128-9 combined halftime margin over the team’s last four home games—wins over Minnesota, Carolina, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Aaron Rodgers was exceptional—again—throwing for 341 yards and three touchdowns before again giving way to the Human Victory Cigar named Matt Flynn. 

Rodgers totaled a 120.3 passer rating, his fifth-highest mark of the season. His season number is now 120.1, tops in the NFL by a wide margin. Dallas’ Tony Romo is No. 2 with a 107.2 mark. 

The defense and special teams were on display as well. Micah Hyde returned a punt 75 yards for a score to give the Packers a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. In the third, Julius Peppers’ 52-yard pick-six pushed the lead to 33 late in the third quarter and removed any doubt of the game’s outcome. Casey Hayward scooped-and-scored from 49 yards out in the fourth quarter for good measure. 

"

#Packers had 3 special teams/defensive TDs Sunday. #Eagles had given up only 1 all season.

— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) November 17, 2014"

Eddie Lacy had another strong overall performance, topping 100 all-purpose yards for the third straight game. Sixty-nine of the running back’s 114 yards from scrimmage came on a bruising 37-yard carry and a 32-yard dump-off that went for paydirt.

News and Notes

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Vikings Claim Tate

Minnesota looked to shore up its running back position earlier this week by claiming veteran running back Ben Tate off waivers, who was released by the Cleveland Browns after complaining about his lack of a role in the team’s offense. Tate was a disappointing free-agent signing for the Browns, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry in eight games after three productive seasons as Arian Foster’s backup in Houston. 

Cordarrelle Corralled 

Coming into the 2014 season with stratospheric expectations, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has struggled thus far, totaling just 28 receptions on 59 targets for 332 yards. In a win over Washington and a loss against Chicago the past two weeks, the second-year wideout has been targeted 10 times but hauled in just three passes for 33 yards and added a three-yard rush.

“I know I’m letting a lot of people down,” Patterson told ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling. "It’s tough. It’s very tough out here, man. It’s a struggle sometimes. Offensively, and me, just got to find that groove and just get it going." 

Drop Dead for Ted

Despite the rookie's mediocre performance in the Vikings’ 21-13 loss to the Bears in Week 11, Minnesota offensive coordinator Norv Turner says he’s pleased with Teddy Bridgewater’s improvement, writes the Star Tribune’s Master Tesfatsion. Bridgewater totaled his third-lowest passer rating of the season—76.2—throwing for just 158 yards on 28 passing attempts with a touchdown and interception apiece.

The former Louisville Cardinal totes a 60.9 completion percentage and 75.0 passer rating with four touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games this season (six starts). Bridgewater missed the Week 5 42-10 loss to the Packers with a sprained ankle. 

Injury Report

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Player	Position	Injury Status
Brandon Bostick (Hip)	TE	Did Not Participate
Jarrett Bush (Groin)	CB	Did Not Participate
Jayrone Elliott (Hamstring)	LB	Limited Participation
T.J. Lang (Ankle)	G	Limited Participation
Clay Matthews (Groin)	LB	Limited Participation
Nick Perry (Shoulder)	LB	Did Not Participate
Josh Sitton (Toe)	G	Limited Participation

Uh-oh. Clay Matthews and Nick Perry both popped up on that danged injury report. 

Mike McCarthy said Matthews "looked good" in Thursday's practice, and in all probability he's good to go for Sunday, writes Mike Spofford of Packers.com. 

We'll be holding out hope for Perry, who had played north of 40 snaps in each of the last two games. 

Brandon Bostick looks like he'll be unable to go. McCarthy called his availability "a long shot," writes the Press-Gazette's Ryan Wood. 

Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang are warriors who would suit up for battle with one arm. They're locks to play. 

Injury statuses courtesy Packers.com.

X-Factor and Matchups to Watch

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Aaron Rodgers vs. Vikings Secondary

Every week, the matchup of Rodgers versus the opposing team’s secondary is something to watch. Lose this battle on defense, and you’re probably going to lose the game.

The Packers’ deep passing game is red-hot this season, with Rodgers connecting on 14 of his 27 passing attempts traveling 20 yards downfield, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Those throws have accounted for 652 yards, eight touchdowns, zero interceptions and 24.15 yards per attempt.

Third-year corner Josh Robinson gave up three touchdowns last week to the Bears’ tandem of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, and he’ll have his hands full this week with the Packers’ similarly deadly duo of Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. 

Packers Offensive Line vs. Vikings Defensive Line

Don’t sleep on the Vikings D-line—it's no joke. Since Week 7, Everson Griffen and Sharrif Floyd have the highest overall grades from ProFootballFocus.com at 4-3 defensive end and defensive tackle, respectively (h/t Arif Hasan of Vikings Journal).

Green Bay’s offensive line has been stellar as of late as well, not allowing a quarterback hit in the Week 11 throttling of the Eagles. Compare that to the 11 QB hits the Eagles totaled a week prior against Cam Newton and the Panthers. 

X-Factor: Teddy Bridgewater

In each of Bridgewater’s three victories this season, the rookie quarterback has led his team from behind in the fourth quarter. For the Vikings to win this game, they’ll need to keep it close enough to give Bridgewater a shot late.

If he plays like he has of late—dinking and dunking down the field without a sense of urgency—Minnesota will get its doors blown off. Bridgewater needs to show the poise and fortitude he showed at Louisville and in his three wins against Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Washington for this game to be anything other than a blowout. 

Prediction

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It shouldn’t be hard to pick between a hotter-than-hot team with the MVP front-runner at quarterback and a middling squad with a struggling rookie signal-caller. 

And yet, the image of Thursday night’s game resonates in my mind. Oakland, with nothing to lose, at home, took advantage of a Kansas City team that was possibly looking ahead. 

Ahead of the Packers is a Week 13 home showdown with New England, pitting the two hottest teams in the league against each other. 

But then I remember that the Chiefs are quarterbacked by Alex Smith and have not yet figured out the forward pass, and I snap back to reality. 

Prediction: Packers 38, Vikings 20. 

Odds via Odds Shark: Green Bay (-10)

Follow me on Twitter @PeterSowards.