Border Battle 107 takes place Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. The Vikings and Packers meet for the final time this season in what has turned into an extremely meaningful game for the Packers.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: Green Bay’s hopes of making the playoffs could take a major blow if they’re not able to beat the Vikings. Green Bay improved to 5-2 with a 44-31 win over the Vikings in Minnesota on Oct. 27. Now, less than a month later, the Packers are 5-5 after three straight losses. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the Packers’ season is “slipping away at 100 mph.”
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: The Packers rolled over the Vikings 44-31 in late October. Aaron Rodgers was spectacular in the game, throwing for 285 yards on 24 of 29 passing with two touchdowns. The Vikings have lost 12 of the last 18 games against Green Bay.
PLAYER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Scott Tolzien. The former Wisconsin Badger will make his second straight start for the Green and Gold. Tolzien threw for 334 yards last week, but his three interceptions cost the Packers.
Michael Rand of the Star Tribune wonders if the matchup between Christian Ponder and Tolzien is the worst ever between the Vikings and Packers.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Greg Jennings on returning to Lambeau Field for the first time as an opponent.
“It will be different, just even entering into that stadium and that locker room on the other side. It will be a different experience. But changes aren’t always bad. It’s what you make of it,” Jennings said, via Pro Football Talk. “I’m coming in there with a rival team, so I don’t expect they’re going to be [cheering for me]. Not at all. I don’t think they’ve ever done that. They didn’t do that for Brett [Favre]. So I don’t expect anything else.”
INJURY REPORT: Adrian Peterson (groin), Greg Jennings (Achilles) and Brian Robison (neck) are all questionable. Peterson and Jennings say they will play. Robison is hopeful that he’ll be able to suit up.
Linebacker Erin Henderson, the Vikings’ leading tackler, will miss the game for a personal reason. Click here for the full injury report.
THE LATEST LINE:Bovada has the Packers as a 4-point favorite.
PREDICTION: While the Packers are 0-3 since Aaron Rodgers injured his collarbone, this is their first game against a truly bad team. On top of that, the Vikings could be without Peterson, Jennings and Sullivan. We already know that starting cornerback Josh Robinson isn’t playing, so this has the makings of a Scott Tolzien coming out party. We predict Tolzien throws for three touchdowns and the Packers get back on track against the NFL’s ultimate slump-busting Vikings with a 31-10 win.
