When you’ve had a tough week at work and are in need of a pick-me-up, many opt for a glass of wine and some comfort food.
If Adam Thielen ever finds himself down in the dumps however, his magical elixir is playing the Packers.
Thielen treats the Packers like garbage almost every time he gets a chance to line up against them, and there’s no reason his two games against the border rivals this season will be any different.
In 10 career games against Packers, Thielen has racked up 52 receptions for 692 yards and four touchdowns. Most of that damage, however, has been done in just four games. To be precise, it’s four of his last five games.
- 2018: 8 catches, 125 yards, 1 TD
- 2018: 12 catches, 131 yards, 1 TD
- 2017: 2 catches, 24 yards
- 2017: 9 catches, 96 yards
- 2016: 12 catches, 202 yards, 2 TD
That random 2-catch, 24-yard performance came in Week 16 in 2017 when Thielen was fighting a nagging injury. Take away that fluke and Thielen’s last four healthy games against Green Bay have resulted in an average of more than 10 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown.
Of course, this year features a Packers defense that is riding high after a 10-3 win over the Bears. But NEWS FLASH: Mitchell Trubisky played like crap for the Bears, and Chicago certainly doesn’t have any weapons nearly as dangerous as Thielen, Stefon Diggs or Dalvin Cook.
What’s more is that Green Bay expected the Vikings to pass the ball a lot last season when their running game was among the least effective in the NFL. That’s changed a ton as the Vikings dominated with the ground game while attempting just 10 passes in a Week 1 win over the Falcons.
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“It’s crazy to kind of see how they’ve switched since last year,” Packers linebacker Blake Martinez said Monday. “I feel like last year they passed the ball a ton. It’s going to be another tough test for us, especially the front seven to stop the run game and make sure we’re on our P’s and Q’s with fundamentals.”
The defensive backs tasked with slowing Thielen and Diggs this Sunday are Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, and Tony Brown. They’ll have their hands full, as will Minnesota’s offensive tackles and tight ends who have to slow down the edge rushing duo of Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith, who combined for 16 pressures and 2.5 sacks against the Bears.
If the Smiths are blocked well, Kirk Cousins could have another Lambeau Field day finding Thielen.
