Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings Prediction

For the third successive NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings will make their way to Green Bay for NFL action in Week 16. The previous two visits provided an abundance of drama, with playoff positions up for grabs.

Last year on Christmas Eve, the Green Bay Packers managed to eliminate the Minnesota Vikings from playoff contention along with winning five straight games that eventually saw the Packers increase that to an eight game winning streak and a spot in the NFC title match. The 2015 NFL season finale played out on the 3rd of January and saw the Vikings manage to upset the Packers to win the NFC North at Lambeau Field and saw the Packers off to the Wild Card Weekend.

The Green Bay Packers (7-7) were eliminated from the earning a playoff spot after the Falcons defeated the Buccaneers on Monday night football, and after Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was put back on injured reserve on Tuesday, reality set in. The Vikings have sealed a playoff spot, but the place in the NFC playoffs is not yet determined. Minnesota (11-3) still has the opportunity to pass the Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) and snatch home-field advantage during the playoffs as they will look to become to first NFL team to play the Super Bowl at home. However, the Vikings are only one game ahead of the Saints, Panthers, and Rams, so the number 2 seed hasn’t been clinched yet.

Most will take everything that happens with a grain of salt as the Packers are ready to pack up and leave with their hopes of the playoffs already squashed. Brett Hundley, the Packers quarterback who is standing in for Aaron Rodgers, has been very inconsistent. However, he has been far better while playing on the road. He will get two more chances to prove that he’s worthy to stand in for Rodgers if he gets injured again next season. However, this will not be an easy battle as the Vikings defense ranks 3rd in the NFL. When the two teams met in October, Hundley was sacked 4 times and picked off 3 times.

The Packers haven’t missed the postseason since 2008 when Rodgers started with the team. It clearly was not a highlight when Mike McCarthy, head coach of the Packers, announced that Rodgers wouldn’t be playing the rest of the season, basically telling the team that the club will not risk Rodgers health for games that carry no meaning.

This means there will be few expectations that the Packers will bring their A game to the field this weekend. In addition, they also witnessed Davante Adams, their top receiver, experience his second concussion of the season after an illegal hit. This is not to suggest that Green Bay will just give up, but the emotional fight certainly has been impacted and it will be more difficult to create an upset against one of the best teams in the NFL.

Final Thoughts

The Green Bay/Vikings game seems to be one that many hope will see each team come away healthy without any new injuries. Yes, the Vikings are hoping to walk away with a win as the Playoff bye will be a huge plus for the team, so you can expect them to have a “game on” mentality.

The next face-off between the Packers and Minnesota Falcons takes place on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 8:30 p.m. on NBC. The current spread shows the Vikings as -3, and for those for the top 10 sports betting sites looking to place bet on the game will see some great opportunities available as the lead up to the Super Bowl is underway. Action is expected to be high amongst mobile users, and of course, the best Canadian mobile betting sites are all gearing up for the Super Bowl and the anticipated battle that will take place.