NFL Football
2024-12-29 - Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NFL Week 17
Sunday 29th December 2024 - Scheduled 4:25pm
9:25pm (British Time)
Preview
Moving into Week 17 of the NFL regular season, there are only five teams in the NFC that have won at least ten games and three of those are in the NFC North.
The Green Bay Packers (11-4) are going to the Playoffs, but there is still a chance fo them to improve their Seeding and they will certainly be keen to hold off the Washington Commanders for the Number 6 Seed at worst.
Motivation will also come from the fact that the Green Bay Packers have come up short against the best teams and they are looking to show they can compete before the Wild Card Round of the Playoffs begins with a road game at a Divisional Champion.
Where that will be is still up for debate and even the destiny of the NFC North is likely going to come down to Week 18- it is not only the Divisional crown on the line, but very likely the Number 1 Seed in the NFC and the Minnesota Vikings (13-2) are continuing to defy all expectations.
The Vikings have to win out if they are going to take the Division ahead of the Detroit Lions- they play before Detroit and there was some question about whether the Lions would rest their starters if the Vikings won simply as that second game between the top two in the NFC North would end up being a Divisional decider.
Minnesota will try and do their part and that is winning this game and sweeping the Green Bay Packers having won on the road when holding off a big rally from Green Bay.
Sam Darnold is going to be signing a big contract soon, but this is going to be a significant test for the Quarter Back with the pressure likely going to be on his arm and the two special Receivers he is throwing to. Aaron Jones would love to remind his former team of his abilities from the Running Back position, but the Vikings Offensive Line have not been able to establish the ground game with any consistency as injuries have piled up.
Making it tougher is trying to run against this Green Bay Defensive Line which is much stronger than previous editions when it comes to clamping down on the run.
Keeping the Vikings in obvious passing situations wil be important and allow the Packers to unleash the pass rush that has rattled Sam Darnold in recent games. Injuries on the Offensive Line have contributed to the pocket crumbling around Darnold and he has absorbed plenty of hits, which is expected to be the case when dropping back to throw against a quality Packers Secondary in this game.
Green Bay will certainly feel they can make some big plays Defensively and that will give a healthier Jordan Love an opportunity to lead the team to a big, important win.
There may be some regret that Aaron Jones is not playing in the Green Bay uniform, but Josh Jacobs can quickly make people forget with his strong performances from Running Back. He is expected to have a few more running lanes to exploit and the Packers will not shy away from driving the ball on the ground if that is what the Defensive unit is offering up.
In recent games it has been possible to push the ball on the ground against Minnesota and this is going to be important for Jordan Love, who will be offered even more time in the pocket than he has been given in recent games. In the main the Quarter Back has played with a clean pocket and there is no doubt that there are areas to attack this Minnesota team down the field.
Christian Watson could miss out, which hurts the Packers and the deep ball play, while there has to be a respect for the ball-hawking playmakers that Minnesota do have in the Defensive Back positions. However, Jordan Love has been careful with his throws and the Packers may just have the balance to 'upset' the hosts in this one, even if the overall Seeding is largely unlikely to be improved.
This has all of the makings of a top quality, Playoff-like game and the Green Bay Packers may edge to the victory as the narrow underdog.
Prediction
Take the points offered with the road underdog.
The Pick :
Minnesota Vikings 20-23 Green Bay Packers
