Week 5 kicks off with a critical NFC North battle between the Minnesota Vikings (2-2) and Green Bay Packers (2-2) at Lambeau Field. Both teams are coming off convincing wins and looking to keep pace in what has become a very competitive division race, with all four teams at .500 or better through four games.
Vikings vs. Packers 2014: NFC North battle comes to Lambeau Field for Thursday Night Football
The Vikings and Packers face off in a key NFC North game on Thursday Night Football.
Jonathan Daniel
The Vikings pulled off one of the more shocking upsets of the season last week, routing the Atlanta Falcons in rookie Teddy Bridgewater's first start. Bridgewater completed 19 of 30 passes for 317 yards and had no turnovers in the 13-point victory before suffering an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter. An MRI on Monday came back clean and Bridgewater is confident he will play on Thursday night despite the short turnaround.
Aaron Rodgers told fans to "relax" last week and then went out on Sunday and calmed Packer Nation with a virtuoso performance while routing the Chicago Bears, 38-17. The Packers scored on six of seven offensive drives, and Rodgers had a near-perfect day under center, completing 22 of 28 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns. Rodgers also etched his name in the record books, reaching 25,000 passing yards in the fewest attempts of any quarterback in NFL history.
Digits
If there is one major concern about this Packers team, it's in the trenches on defense. Green Bay gave up 235 yards on the ground against the Bears, a team that entered the game last week with the fewest rushing yards in the league. The Packers are now dead last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed with 704, their most allowed through four games since 1983. The only team in the last decade to make the playoffs after giving up that many rushing yards in the first quarter of the season was the 2008 Indianapolis Colts.
Although the Vikings are without Adrian Peterson, they still boast a formidable ground game, grinding out 241 yards against the Falcons. Minnesota ranks in the top 10 in both total rushing yards and yards per rush this season, thanks to the dynamic running back tandem of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon. The rookie McKinnon has shown both explosiveness (6.2 yards per rush) and the ability to break tackles (75 of 142 yards after contact), while Asiata has a nose for the end zone with three rushing touchdowns against Atlanta.
The Packers have owned this rivalry at Lambeau Field in the last two decades, going 15-4-1 at home against the Vikings over the previous 20 years. Rodgers has dominated Minnesota regardless of location during his career, completing more than 70 percent of his passes with a ridiculous 26-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 12 games. His 117.9 passer rating against the Vikings is his highest vs any opponent he’s played more than three times.
Who to watch
Teddy Bridgewater - The rookie had one of the most impressive debuts of any quarterback in recent years. He joined Robert Griffin III as the only players to throw for at least 300 yards without an interception in their first career start over the past decade, and rallied his team in the fourth quarter after the Vikings had blown a 13-point second-half lead. Bridgewater's ankle injury doesn't appear to be serious, and the Vikings will definitely need their franchise quarterback under center if they are going to be a contender this season.
Aaron Rodgers - Rodgers quieted his critics with a historic performance on Sunday against the Bears, reaffirming his status as one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. His production last week was even more impressive considering the Packers’ lack of a running game (56 rush yards on 18 carries). Despite not having a threat in the backfield, Rodgers has been excellent on play-action this season. More than 30 percent of his dropbacks have come after a run-fake and he has compiled a 112.6 passer rating on those plays, the fifth-best in the league this season. If Rodgers can continue to operate the offense with the efficiency he showed last week, the Packers could be primed for a deep postseason run.
Cordarrelle Patterson - The 2013 first-round pick from Tennessee can hurt you in so many ways -- in the slot, out of the backfield, on special teams. He has caught 13 passes for 181 receiving yards in four games, rushed for 95 yards on four carries, and he averages more than 30 yards per kickoff return. The Packers have first-hand knowledge of how explosive he can be. In two games against Green Bay last season Patterson had nine returns for 354 yards, including a record-tying 109-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff in Week 8.
How to watch
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisc.
When: 8:25 p.m. ET
TV: CBS and NFL Network
Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, with Tracy Wolfson on the sideline
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile
The venue
Lambeau Field is one of the most historic venues in football and Packers fans are known as some of the rowdiest in all of pro sports. There might not be a more iconic tradition than the "Lambeau Leap" and there might not be more recognizable fan attire than the foam "cheeseheads" that so many in Packer Nation are proud to wear while cheering on the home team.
This homefield advantage extends from the crowd to the playing field as well. Over the last five seasons, only the New England Patriots have a better home record than the Packers, and Rodgers is 23-2 in his last 25 regular season games started at Lambeau Field.
Odds
The Packers are roughly 10-point favorites over the Vikings, according to OddsShark. The over/under is set at 46.5 points.
Preliminary judgment
The experts are not giving the Vikings much of a chance to pull off the upset on the road. Each of the 15 experts at SB Nation and CBS Sports picked the Packers to win. That seems like a good bet on paper but I might not put all my money on the Packers. Though Green Bay looked dominant in its win on Sunday, it's also hard to forget how awful the team looked in its Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions and in a close win over the New York Jets in Week 2.
Further reading
For more on the Vikings, head over the Daily Norseman.
For more on the Packers, check out Acme Packing Company.
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