The Minnesota Vikings enter a new era on Sunday when Kevin O’Connell coaches his first regular season game against the Green Bay Packers. The build to Sunday’s game has been clouded in mystery as O’Connell rested his starters and kept a lot of his game plan close to the vest.
The Packers are a familiar opponent, however, and one the Vikings have to get through to conquer the NFC North. We will know a lot more about both teams after the game, but for now, here’s what you can count on when the Vikings battle the Packers.
Za’Darius Smith’s revenge game
The past year and a half has had its own mystery surrounding the Vikings’ new edge rusher. Smith missed 16 games last season due to a back injury and although he returned for the Packers’ playoff loss to the 49ers, his tour through free agency saw him back out of a potential agreement with the Baltimore Ravens.
No worries for Smith as the 30-year-old signed a three-year contract with the Vikings for one reason — to beat the Packers twice.
“I gave that shit my all,” Smith told Go Long’s Ty Dunne about his time with the Packers. “I put my blood, sweat… I put my back on the f–king line. I put everything. And that Year 3, I was treated bad. That’s why I’m here now. So, I can play them twice a year.”
The story from Green Bay says Smith’s ire stems from not being voted as a team captain last season and not getting the lucrative contract he eventually got from the Vikings. No matter the reason, Smith wants to destroy the Packers, who come into Sunday’s game with tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins both listed as questionable.
Smith has been unstoppable during training camp and a little added motivation should lead to a big debut for the Vikings.
Sammy Watkins’ Week 1 blowup
The Packers come into the game with their own set of questions at receiver. Davante Adams is in Las Vegas and Allen Lazard was listed as doubtful on the Packers’ final injury report. Rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson are expected to play a key role but the biggest threat to the Vikings could be Sammy Watkins.
Watkins’s career hasn’t gone as planned after he was the fourth overall pick during the 2014 NFL Draft, but he has a knack for exploding in the season opener. Since 2019, Watkins has 20 catches for 376 yards and four touchdowns in Week 1 games and the Vikings secondary could fuel that narrative on Sunday.
Patrick Peterson is currently the top cornerback on the team but Cam Dantzler needs to take a big leap in his third year. Chandon Sullivan will play primarily in the slot and rookies Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans are in the early stages of their development.
That should make for an intriguing matchup through the air but one that Watkins could exploit for another big game.
Adam Thielen scoring a touchdown
Vikings fans are hoping that Thielen’s career will mimic the end of the great Cris Carter but if there’s one area he has perfected, it’s scoring touchdowns.
Thielen is tied with Tyreek Hill for third in the NFL with 24 touchdowns over the past two seasons and has grown into a reliable red zone target for Kirk Cousins. Playing more into his favor, Thielen loves scoring against the Packers with seven career touchdowns in 15 games — the most against any opponent.
#Vikings WR Adam Thielen’s last 2 games at home vs GB
🔹14 rec
🔹192 yards
🔹3 TD’s— Matt Anderson (@MattAnderson_8) September 7, 2022
The Packers’ secondary is tough with Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes and Rasul Douglas at cornerback but like Carter, Thielen usually finds a way into the end zone. With three touchdowns in his past two home games against the Packers, it’s a good bet he’ll score again on Sunday.
Dalvin Cook being used everywhere
A lot of focus has been on the Vikings’ passing game, but the Vikings wouldn’t be wise to eliminate Dalvin Cook from the offense.
Cook’s role has been one of the biggest mysteries of the offseason. Under Mike Zimmer, Cook was option A, B and C but that was limited to taking a handoff up the middle or a screen out of the backfield. O’Connell spiced things up by lining up Cook at receiver during minicamp but opted to hold him out with many of the starters this preseason.
One of the biggest changes, however, might be a more efficient workload. During O’Connell’s two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (2020-21), four different running backs logged over 100 carries. Meanwhile in Minnesota, Cook and Alexander Mattison were the only two backs to cross that threshold and over 50 percent of Mattison’s carries came in six starts.
With Mattison, Kene Nwangwu and Ty Chandler on the roster, Cook should not only be able to maintain his explosiveness throughout the season, but used in a variety of ways.
“I might throw [the ball],” Cook joked to reporters earlier this week. “You never know. I’m looking forward to how they’re going to use me. Any way possible, I’m ready to get the job done.”
An entertaining 60 minutes of football
We’ve gone over four different topics in this game and it’s not even half of the intriguing storylines heading into Sunday.
Will Kirk Cousins be a more aggressive quarterback in the new offense? Will Justin Jefferson really be in “The Cooper Kupp Role.” Are the Vikings going to be OK with Garrett Bradbury at center? Is Aaron Rodgers going to have a bad cup of tea before the game?
All of these things make for an entertaining matchup to open the season, but it’s one that has major implications. The Packers have owned the NFC North over the past four seasons and for the Vikings to get to where they want to be, they need a win.
Until that happens, you have to assume that the division runs through Green Bay and even with a home crowd, they’ll have enough to get the victory.
Prediction: Packers 27, Vikings 20
