Last year’s Packers-Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium featured me at a bar which is a rare thing for a Packers game. My girlfriend and I were at a charity function when Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury. It seemed significant. Rodgers held his arm and went off in a chart with tears in his eyes. Rumors swirled about fans heckling him as he left the stadium. This is a redemption game for Rodgers. You don’t want to say a game is about one player but Sunday night, it might be about Rodgers and no one else. He wants this one badly. Green Bay needs it badly. If the Packers were to stay alive in the playoff hunt, they need this win and the tiebreaker against Minnesota.

"I gotta bring it with the tempo." Good to see Rodgers acknowledge he's been at fault for some of the wasted time outs that have plagued them on offense. pic.twitter.com/dzzFwb5dhz

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) November 23, 2018

Could the no-huddle be on tap for Green Bay
Watch the clip above and ask yourself this question, is this a different Rodgers? I believe so. Rodgers seems determined to make things different this week around and wonder if no huddle is a part of it. Chicago seemed to unlock an issue with the Vikings defense. If you have them on the ropes, they cannot seem to get into their blitz packages especially on third down. The fast-tempo Packers could really be beneficial especially with Rodgers’ hard counts and being able to get 12 man calls as well.

Frustrating Kirk Cousins
Yes, Kirk Cousins is a top five quarterback against the blitz. This doesn’t mean that Cousins is actually good against the blitz. Rather, teams are sending the house against him very often because the Vikings offensive linemen cannot compete with good pass rushes. Packers have one of those with the likes of Kyler Fackrell, Clay Matthews, Reggie Gilbert and a few others. Packers defense will shine through with a couple big plays against Cousins.

Excited for the receiver matchups
Packers might get Kevin King back this week, and if they do, that’s a huge lift for this team. Stefon Diggs will see King for the game, and King did a good job against Diggs before getting hurt in the game versus the Vikings. Jaire Alexander will likely be on Adam Thielen which is a difference from the first game of the year. Alexander could be a difference maker for Green Bay.

Jake Kumerow SZN?
Packers might activate Jake Kumerow this week. We’ll see if that actually happens for the team. Kumerow seemed to gain Rodgers’ trust even though he didn’t play much with him. I could see Kumerow replacing Equanimeous St. Brown considering St. Brown’s infractions over the past two weeks. That would put Kumerow at the fourth receiver with the likes of Davante Adams-Randall Cobb-MVS-Kumerow. Like the sound of it.

Prediction
I have the Packers winning this game. I know it seems doubtful, but Vikings haven’t showed me much this year. They beat up on bad teams then against any team that’s above average, they seem to struggle. Green Bay isn’t bad, and Rodgers will have a massive day through the air serving as a warning shot to the rest of the league. Green Bay 31 Minnesota 24

CHarlie.