The Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers are meeting for the second and last time in the 2023 NFL regular season. Will the Vikings beat Green Bay again? Or will the Packers score their fourth win in a row and avenge their Week 1 loss to Minnesota? Check out our preview of this Vikings vs Packers game in Week 17 of the 2023 NFL regular season.
The Vikings started the season like a house on fire, as they beat Green Bay back in Week 1 at home, 23-7. It can be remembered that wide receiver Justin Jefferson torched the Packers’ defense in that game for an incredible output of 184 receiving yards and two touchdowns on nine catches and 11 targets. Not much has changed since. Jefferson is still lethal downfield. He just had 133 receiving yards and at touchdown on 12 receptions in the Vikings’ 27-24 home win in Week 16 versus the New York Giants. This time around, there’s more headache for the Packers’ pass defense, as the Vikings now also have TJ Hockenson, who exploded for 109 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions in the Giants game.
Don’t look now but the Packers are surging. Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay have now won three games in a row following a 26-20 road win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 16. The Vikings are the kings of the NFC North and are 1-0 this season versus the Packers, but Aaron Rodgers can beat any team almost singlehandedly when he’s at his best, and that could come in this all-important matchup in Week 17. Rodgers is itching to get back at the Vikings, who limited him to a touchdown-less and sacked him four times in Week 1. Minnesota’s stop unit is not airtight, and it can be taken advantage of by a future Hall of Famer in Rodgers. The Vikings are just 28th in the NFL with 24.9 points allowed per outing. Green Bay’s defense has also stepped up of late, forcing Miami to four turnovers.
The Packers are 9-4 against the spread in their last 13 home games versus Minnesota.
