The Green Bay Packers will try to do what hasn’t been done to start the 2024 season: beat the Minnesota Vikings. Kevin O’Connell’s team is 3-0 to open the year after notable wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans. Now the Packers – who have won back-to-back games with a backup quarterback under center – will welcome the Vikings to Lambeau Field for their first NFC North matchup of the season.
The Vikings were active in attack and destructive in defense.
Will Matt LaFleur’s team be able to crack the Nordic code on Sunday?
Here are five keys to the Packers beating the Vikings in Week 4:
Internal pressure on Darnold
The Vikings have two excellent offensive tackles in Christian Darrisaw on the left side and Brian O’Neil on the right side. The question marks for the Vikings’ offensive line are on the interior, particularly at center and right guard. Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram combined for 20 pressures in three games. Can Devonte Wyatt, Kenny Clark and the rest of the Packers’ tight ends benefit? Don’t be surprised if the Packers run the A-yardage and do acrobatics inside to highlight interior blockers in obvious passing situations. The Packers need to consistently disrupt Darnold and collapse the inside of the pocket to maintain control of the Vikings’ run game.
Jaire vs. JJ
The biggest matchup of the game. Jaire Alexander could and probably will be a shadow of Justin Jefferson, arguably the best receiver in football. Can Alexander stop Jefferson from taking over the game in gigantic moments? The Vikings’ passing game is diverse and Darnold has done a good job spreading the ball to a variety of targets, so Jefferson isn’t the only threat. But he’s the biggest yet, and Alexander – who struggled against AJ Brown in Game 1 but also had his best game of the season last week – needs to play at an All-Pro level. The Packers can’t let Jefferson beat them.
Defeating lightning
(Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
This matters regardless of who plays quarterback for the Packers. Brian Flores is running a top five percent offense once again this season, and it’s impossible for any defensive coordinator to run the offense at a higher rate than the Vikings. If Malik Willis starts, Flores will want to speed up his decision-making in the pocket. If Jordan Love starts, Flores will want to test his moves in the pocket. Expect second-level blitzes from Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace, so Matt LaFleur needs to have pre-snap answers at his quarterback’s disposal. It will also be an significant spot for Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson, who will likely be asked to take over all of the Vikings’ offense on Sunday.
Run the play test
The Packers used the composite play to support Malik Willis stay on schedule and unlock opportunities for gigantic games over the past two weeks. Will the Packers be able to stay productive on the ground against one of the NFL’s best defenses heading into 2024? Sunday could quickly lose value if the Packers are unable to run early and are stuck in obvious passing situations against Brian Flores. I’ll say it again: It shouldn’t matter who plays quarterback. The Packers need a varied running game that uses misdirection to attack an aggressive defensive front and avoid arduous third-and-long scenarios.
Explosive plays, turnovers
The Packers’ winning formula is quite elementary: create explosive plays on offense and create turnovers on defense. It’s also a winning plan for Sunday. The Packers offense wasn’t all that impressive, but the sheer number of explosive plays – Green Bay leads the NFL through three weeks – provided more than enough scoring opportunities. The explosive plays in the running game were consistent, and more (or more) could be expected in the passing game if Jordan Love returns on Sunday. Defensively, the key will be to translate pressure into takeaways. Forcing Sam Darnold to make one or two bad decisions could be the difference in a game. Darnold has performed admirably under pressure this season, but no quarterback can consistently avoid turnovers in slim pockets.
