Packers Wire sections personnel projections: Week 17 vs. Vikings

The Green Bay Packers will travel to Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon at US Bank Stadium to face the Minnesota Vikings, who are 13-2 and have won eight straight games.

Can the Packers earn the 12th seed and end Minnesota’s impressive streak with a gigantic postseason road win?

Here’s how the Week 17 matchup with the Vikings will play out, according to the Packers Wire staff:

Zach Kruse: Packers 30, Vikings 28 (9-6)

A dream matchup – a divisional showdown between two of the NFL’s top teams with significant playoff berths – and a chance for the Packers to pick up an significant road win just a few weeks into the postseason. Matt LaFleur’s team started December with a chance to go to Detroit and earn a signature victory. Several bad turnovers and missed opportunities cost the Packers the victory. However, the chance for redemption will come to Minneapolis in tardy December, and I think the Packers will take advantage of it quickly. Matt LaFleur’s team needs to prove it can stick to its identity on the road in a hostile environment and defeat a true opponent, and that will be needed many times over if the Packers are to make the postseason tour. Well-balanced on both sides of the ball and confident after back-to-back wins, the Packers have what it takes to win this football game. In the shootout, I think Jordan Love made the only clutch play tardy in the game that helped the Packers escape with a narrow victory.

Brandon Carwile: Packers 27, Vikings 24 (12-3)

Green Bay is winless against Philadelphia, Detroit and Minnesota this season and can exploit a win over the NFC’s top seed to prepare for the playoffs. Even though the Packers are no longer fighting for a first-round bye or the NFC North throne, the Week 17 matchup still holds great importance. This will be a chance for Green Bay to seek revenge for their Week 4 loss to Minnesota, and it could also lend a hand them improve their seeding and provide a more favorable matchup in the Wild Card Round. In case you’ve forgotten, the Vikings led 28-0 at one point in the first game before the Packers fought their way back and lost by just two points. While Minnesota is an extremely talented team, nine of their 13 wins have been by one point, including last Sunday against the Seahawks, whom Green Bay beat by 17 points less than two weeks ago. The Packers are the hottest team right now and I don’t foresee them falling into another huge hole, so I’m banking on them winning the rematch.

Brennen Rupp: Packers 30, Vikings 27 (14-1)

When these two teams met in week four, Green Bay recorded 14 tackles and two sacks. Minnesota’s offense will be busy on Sunday. As the calendar turned to December, the Green Bay Fever caused temperatures to rise. Jeff Hafley’s defense has recorded 11 sacks and 77 pressures over the last three games, including 10 sacks and 64 pressures in the last two games. Green Bay’s pass rush will force Sam Darnold into one or two errant throws, giving Jordan Love and the offense an extra possession, and that will be the difference in the game as the Packers pick up their third straight win and build momentum as they look to get into the playoffs -off. Something tells me these two teams could meet again in a few weeks.