The Packers quickly turn to the big game against the Vikings

GREEN BAY – It’s not a crucial game next Sunday in Minnesota, but it’s very important.

Shortly before Green Bay defeated New Orleans in a 34-0 shutout on Monday Night Football, the second Packers-Vikings matchup of 2024 was moved to a 3:25 p.m. CT kickoff at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Packers can no longer win the NFC North at 11-4, but they can certainly improve their wild card position by beating the Vikings 13-2. More importantly, the team is fully aware of what such a win would mean at the end of the season.

“It’s a very big game,” QB Jordan Love said after Monday night’s win at Lambeau Field. “You know, divisional game, and then of course we lost to them earlier this season, so it’s one of those games that we have to get back.”

“We talked about it earlier, we have to be able to beat these good teams. The Vikings are a very good team and we have to be able to step up to their plate and take care of business.”

When the playoff dust settles, the Packers will be ranked somewhere between fifth and seventh in the NFC field as one of the conference’s three wild cards.

The easiest way to break down the impact of next week’s game is as follows:

• A win would give the Packers a shot at the No. 5 seed heading into Week 18 and put them in good shape to avoid falling to No. 7.
• A loss would eliminate any chance of getting the No. 5 seed and could put Green Bay in danger of falling to No. 7.

Washington’s (10-5) performance in the final two weeks of the regular season will also play a role, as will the outcome of the Minnesota-Detroit showdown in Week 18.

But this massive NFC North finals battle will only matter to the Packers if they beat the Vikings in Week 17.

“We have a big test coming up next week,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “Traveling on a short vacation week is never easy, especially not to Minnesota.”

“So we need to flip the script here real quick and go to the Vikings.”

LaFleur added that several assistant coaches took advantage of the free time on Sunday and Monday before the night game to watch Minnesota film, which will allow the game-planning process to kick into high gear first thing in the morning on Tuesday. Love said he would also review feature films when he can.

The Packers also gave some players a rest, particularly workhorse running back Josh Jacobs, after getting a good handle on the Saints game, knowing that a turning point would come quickly before a big game loomed.

Phrases like “benchmark” and “litmus test” will be around by Sunday, and these are correct terms.

But the Packers also remember how they got off to a terrible start against the Vikings in Week 4, falling behind 28-0 in the first half before a furious comeback to fall 31-29.

That small margin, influenced in part by a kicker who is no longer here and missed two field goals, and a starting quarterback who missed the last two games and wasn’t fully healthy, is the difference between the teams’ current positions or a tie between the two at 12-3 at the moment.

The Packers have a big challenge to get fit in just under a week, but they will be.

“We definitely owe these guys something,” Love said, “and we’ll be motivated to compete against them.”