It’s redemption weekend in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The Green Bay Packers are about to play what is, to date, their biggest game of the season. Kick-started by their Week 1 win over the Packers, the Minnesota Vikings started the season 6-0. They looked poised to run and hide from the Packers, who lost two of their first three games.

On Sunday at Lambeau Field, the Packers have a chance to avenge their season-opening loss while tying the Vikings in the standings.

Can they? Here are our weekly matchups.

Vikings Pass Offense vs. Packers Pass Defense

Justin Jefferson is awesome. The analysis on him as a player can start and stop there.

But who is going to be throwing him the ball?

Minnesota opened training camp with four quarterbacks. Kyler Murray was signed to be the starter but is on the sideline with a strained hamstring. With the addition of Murray, former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy was traded to the Giants in late September. The backup, Carson Wentz, started in place of Murray on Monday night but looked lifeless in the process of losing to the Bills. Max Brosmer got some time last year when injuries struck the position, but he’s not a sound solution.

So, the Vikings were forced to make a move at quarterback. At Tuesday’s trade deadline, they sent a third-round pick to the Raiders to reacquire Kirk Cousins. Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowler, including three selections during his time in Minnesota. He starred under Kevin O’Connell from 2022 until he suffered a torn Achilles at Lambeau Field in 2023.

With experience in the offense, Cousins is the odds-on favorite to start against Green Bay.

Meanwhile, the Packers’ defense is coming off one of its best games of the season. It picked off Drake Maye three times, sacked him four times and pressured him on 18 of his 38 dropbacks.

Outside of a game at Ford Field in Detroit, the Packers’ defense has mostly been excellent since the calendar turned to October.

The Packers’ defense, until further notice, is good. Minnesota’s offense is a mess. 

Advantage: Packers

Vikings Rush Offense vs. Packers Run Defense

Bijan Robinson ran wild on the Packers in Week 3. Outside of that, the Packers have done a good job of keeping opposing ground games under control. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for more than 100 yards against them, but it took him 29 carries to get to his 116 yards. 

The Packers are familiar with the backfield that the Vikings will bring with them this weekend. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason spearhead this attack. Jones leads the Vikings with 474 rushing yards and is averaging 4.1 yards per carry. He’s not the same player he was during his prime seasons with the Packers, but he is still good.

The Packers’ defense, however, is rolling.

Advantage: Packers

Vikings Pass Defense vs. Packers Passing Offense

Here’s the matchup of the game. The last time these teams played, Jordan Love threw for 387 yards on 21 completions. He was sacked four times and threw one interception and lost two fumbles.

He was under siege essentially from the beginning of the game to the end, when the game got out of hand. The Packers’ offensive line that day was Jordan Morgan at left tackle, Donovan Jennings at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Jacob Monk at right guard and Zach Bako-Bewele at right tackle.

This week, the Packers will have a new starting five with the interior certain to be three new players and Anthony Belton playing at right tackle. The offensive line has gotten better from the first game of the season but is still prone to blown blocks and missed assignments.

Minnesota’s blitz-happy defense sacked Buffalo’s Josh Allen four times on Monday and has brought pressure all season.

The difference this time around is that Love is playing as well as he ever has in his career.

Is he ready for the No. 1 defense in the NFL? Minnesota is allowing just 14.5 points and 161 passing yards per game. It’s suffocated everyone all season.

So, why does the edge go to Green Bay?

Jordan Love is on a heater. His performance against New England may have been the best of his career. He was excellent for three quarters against Carolina before one bad interception started to turn the tide.

He has been very good against almost any defense he has faced this season. That includes Flores’ group in Week 1 before he got snowed under by a defense that smelled blood.

The Packers’ defense should be better prepared for Minnesota’s quarterback situation this week. They’re also at home, which means their offensive line won’t be behind the gun of having to deal with Minnesota’s crowd noise.

Great quarterbacks can overcome almost anything. Love has been great the last few weeks, and that gives him the nod against a great defense.

Advantage: Packers.

Vikings Rush Defense vs. Green Bay’s Rush Offense

Does Green Bay have a run game now? OK, that’s probably a step too far. However, the ground attack had by far its best performance on Sunday against the Patriots.

Josh Jacobs dropped out of the game with a fractured finger that will require surgery and won’t play on Sunday, but perhaps they found something with Kaleb Johnson. Johnson ran for a season-high 68 yards. That’s a season high for the Packers, not just Johnson.

Will Johnson get more run this week with the team they are playing? That remains to be seen. Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong are better in pass protection and that could play a big role against Brian Flores’ nasty defense.

Despite the improvement last week, the Packers are a bad run offense until further notice.

One thing to keep an eye on as the game gets into the fourth quarter: The Vikings’ defense was on the field for more than 40 minutes against Buffalo and will be playing on a short week. Will they wear down late?

Advantage: Vikings.

Special Teams

Green Bay’s special teams is coming off what was perhaps its best game of the season.

Trey Smack, the embattled kicker, was asked to put the ball through the uprights seven times on Sunday. He booted all seven right down the middle, looking as confident as he has all season. Bo Melton returned a kickoff to the midfield, and the kick coverage was solid.

Can the Packers repeat that performance this week in a bigger game?

On Minnesota’s side, kicker Will Reichard is a legitimate weapon. He made 11 kicks of more than 50 yards a season ago, including a 62-yard bomb. He has missed just two field goal attempts this season, and both came from more than 50 yards.

Myles Price will handle return duties. He is averaging 29.9 yards per kickoff return. He almost took two kickoffs back for touchdowns against Green Bay, including a 68-yarder. He is averaging 17.5 yards per punt return, as well, with an 86-yard touchdown against Tampa Bay.

The Packers’ special teams has had its moments but is too up-and-down to be trusted in this spot.

Advantage: Vikings.

All four NFC North teams are in the top 10 of our Consensus NFL Power Rankings, with the Packers making a big move up after beating the Patriots. ⬇️https://t.co/W1F469I3Kv

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 10, 2026