3 Bold Predictions for Packers-Vikings
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The Minnesota Vikings have entered the league’s Top 10 Super Bowl odds, a totally wild circumstance after Minnesota was expected to win about six or seven games in 2024.
3 Bold Predictions for Packers-Vikings
That’s the benefit of a 3-0 start. Minnesota puts the streak on the line this week at the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
So, with that showdown around the bend, these are three bold predictions for Packers-Vikings.
3. Will Reichard Drills a Game-Winning Field Goal
Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.
Most division games for the Vikings are close and filled with anxiety — no matter the win-loss records for either team. We don’t expect much different for Packers-Vikings.
Therefore, because the purple team is playing so well, it won’t quite blow Green Bay’s doors off. Instead, rookie kicker Will Reichard will acclimate to this rivalry by banging through a game-winner, as Minnesota will prevail 23-20.
For gravy last week, Reichard connected from 58 yards, albeit hitting the upright. Most kickers hit the crosspost if a 58-yard kick is in question. But not Reichard.
2. Ty Chandler Steals the Show
John Jones-Imagn Images.
All eyes will be on Aaron Jones’ first trip to Lambeau Field as the enemy — rightfully so — but RB2 Ty Chandler is capable of slicing and dicing a defense, too.
Chandler is faster than Jones, and he has not disappointed when called up thus far. Not one iota. Minnesota decided it trusted Chandler in a game last December at the Cincinnati Bengals, and he’s answered the call since.
Jones will likely have his return-to-Lambeau moment. Yet, we believe Chandler will either score a touchdown or chip off a ginormous chunk gain of some kind.
1. The Vikings Win — and the City of Minneapolis Ignites with Excitement
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While the Vikings fan base is elated about the team’s 3-0 start, there’s a “pinch me” sense to early-season success, probably because the organization started 5-0 in 2016 and later faceplanted.
The difference in 2024, though, is that Minnesota is stomping opponents — two of them Super Bowl hopefuls. And if the Vikings can topple the Packers at Lambeau Field, my, oh my, how the Twin Cities will erupt. The game almost feels like the final boss of the early-season schedule.
We picked a game-winning field goal by Reichard to start this article, and by Monday morning, Vikings fans and NFL media will slide the purple team into a legitimate Super Bowl contender tier.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
