This makes back-to-back Sunday nights that the Minnesota Vikings are getting primetime love. The Vikings had no luck in a 25-20 loss to the NFC North rival Bears in Chicago last week that dropped the Vikings to 5-4-1. The Green Bay Packers come into this game off a tight loss themselves on the road, falling 27-24 to the Seattle Seahawks. A loss for Green Bay (4-5-1) this week would mean they can't get to 10 wins and would put a real damper on their playoff hopes. A win and these two expected playoff teams are tied in going into the final few weeks of the NFC Wild Card race.
How to Watch Packers vs. Vikings: Week 12
Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Start: Sunday, Nov. 18, 8:20 p.m. ET
TV Network: NBC
Stream Online: Watch live with fuboTV
Mike McCarthy's seat will get hotter and hotter in the second half if the inconsistent Packers miss out on the postseason. Aaron Rodgers has not played poorly, but this team continues to lose close games. Davante Adams will have even more to shoulder with his best receiving complement, tight end Jimmy Graham, trying to play with a broken thumb. On defense, it's going to come down to the Packers secondary making stops, which they often have failed to do. Kyler Fackrell leads the team with six sacks after having a career-high three last week.
That Vikings running game needs to be a big factor. They have been asking Kirk Cousins to throw the ball way more than he should be. When these two teams met in Week 2, a game that finished in a 29-29 tie, Cousins threw the ball 48 times. The key for the Vikings is tiring out the Packers defense and keeping Rodgers and their offense off the field. That means a heavy dose of Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray in the ground game. Wide receiver Adam Thielen leads the NFL with 85 receptions, and he has more than 1,000 receiving yards. On defense, Danielle Hunter continues to be a force with 11.5 sacks. Running the football and forcing Rodgers into mistakes will be pivotal if the Vikings want to get to 6-4-1 and tighten up the NFC North race with the Bears.
