Watch Packers at Vikings at 1am on Sky Sports Action (407) on Tuesday morning
Tuesday 24 December 2019 00:04, UK
The Green Bay Packers (11-3) enter Monday Night Football knowing they can clinch the NFC North title with victory over the Minnesota Vikings (10-4).
A win for the Vikings would, meanwhile, ensure the title race goes into the final week, when they host the Chicago Bears (7-8) and Green Bay visit the Detroit Lions (3-11-1).
Minnesota, who have already sealed a playoff berth, have won five and tied one of their last eight meetings with their divisional rivals, but did lose 21-16 in their most recent matchup in September.
The Packers enter the contest on a three-game winning streak after securing their post-season slot with a 21-13 victory over the Bears last time out.
The Packers are in the playoffs, they are in pole position to win their division and they currently occupy the No 3 seed in the NFC with a shot at No 1 - so why isn't there more excitement around them?
They partly have former quarterback Brett Hundley to thank for the latter after he helped the Arizona Cardinals to victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
As a result, should the Packers win out and the Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17 then the No 1 seed will belong to Green Bay.
Head coach Matt LaFleur and his men have quietly gone about their business over the past three weeks having been faced with unrelenting doubts over their chances heading into January.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has struggled to replicate the MVP-calibre form displayed in previous seasons. He has been guilty of missing reads, hesitating in his release and his tally of 3,463 passing yards is considerably lower than the 4,442 he racked up in 2018.
Nevertheless, his 24 touchdown passes put him just one behind last season's 25, while he has also thrown fewer interceptions than any other current starting quarterback in the league this season with two.
Criticise him for a reluctance to throw downfield all you want. It may not be the explosive Rodgers that has dominated highlight reels in the past, but what he is doing has taken the Packers into post-season football.
Part of the criticism towards the Packers has been an apparent lack of depth to their weapons on offense. But, again, that only hints at an ominous room for improvement.
Davante Adams is finally getting the recognition he deserves as one of the NFL's elite wide receivers, asserting himself as the undisputed favourite target in Rodgers' offensive arsenal with a team-high 63 catches for 788 yards and four touchdowns - despite having missed four games through injury.
Help for him has been in short supply, with both Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison seeing their production and involvement decline significantly since the end of October.
Besides Adams, Green Bay's offense has also predominantly gone through running back Jones, who is tied-first in the NFL with 14 rushing touchdowns having run for 830 yards off 188 carries.
Whether it be incorporating wide receiver Jake Kumerow more or utilising Jamaal Williams more prominently, LeFleur would be wise to mix it up heading into the playoffs in a bid to take some pressure off Adams and Jones.
Needless to say Cousins will be fed up of being reminded that he is 0-8 in Monday Night Football as a starter in his career.
Whether or not he cares to admit it, that record will be playing on the back of his mind tonight. Rodgers himself will also be out to snap a 0-3 record at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The pressure on Cousins to lead the Vikings has been heightened by the absence of star running back Dalvin Cook, who has been ruled out of Monday's game with a chest injury.
Cousins threw two interceptions in the Week Two loss at Lambeau Field, but has since thrown just three in 12 games on route to clinching a playoff place.
He has carried out the job asked of him without being spectacular, registering 291 of 413 for 3,481 yards and 25 touchdowns on the year with the welcomed support of a crucial running game.
In Cook they are losing the league's ninth-ranked rusher with 1,135 yards for a tied-third 13 touchdowns, not to mention a valuable asset in the open field as evidenced by his 53 catches for 519 yards.
With Alexander Mattison also questionable, Mike Boone could be the man to fill the void in the backfield after rushing for 56 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 39-10 victory over the Chargers. Ameer Abdullah is another option to share the workload.
Awaiting Boone is a Packers defense that ranks 25th against the run, allowing 120.9 yards per game.
As for the passing game, increased production for Thielen could be vital in softening the loss of Cook as the wide receiver works back to full fitness following a groin injury. He hasn't managed a ton-plus game in receiving yards since the 28-10 over the New York Giants in Week Five.
On the other side of the ball the Vikings will be calling on an eighth-ranked defense allowing 99 yards per game against the run to contain the rushing threat of Jones.
Minnesota can still be crowned NFC North champions if they beat the Packers and then the Bears, while seeing Green Bay suffer an unlikely defeat to Detroit.
Will the Packers finish the job or will the Vikings add some final day drama to the schedule?
