Green Bay Packers get set to take on their division rival the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Everything is in front of the Packers. If Green Bay wins, they clinch the NFC North for the first time since 2016. And if they win, there is a legitimate shot that they could be the overall number one seed and the road to the Super Bowl runs through Lambeau Field. In a year where home-field advantage hasn’t mattered, it will matter in the postseason especially if the Packers have home field. It will not come easy though. This is one of the toughest places to play in football, and Aaron Rodgers has never won here in his career.

THREE STORYLINES I CARE ABOUT
1. Davante Adams vs. Xavier Rhodes – Last year and years before, people told me that Xavier Rhodes is a lockdown cornerback. Davante Adams put him in a locker though. He has some massive numbers against the Vikings for his career. Rhodes is having an awful season, and he now faces Adams yet again. That spells bad news for Minnesota. They’re going to go after Rhodes all game long, and he is going to have an absolute day. Rhodes is quaking in his boots.

2. All the pressure is on Kirk Cousins – No Dalvin Cook, no Alexander Mattison which means Kirk Cousins will be the man tonight. Kirk Cousins, the guy who hasn’t won a big game in his entire life. He does not have a playoff win. Quarterback wins are irrelevant but Cousins is a .500 quarterback plus has yet to win on Monday Night Football. Now, he’s been good in primetime this year, but Cook is there as a safety blanket. That is gone, and all of it falls on Cousins’ shoulders. He knows that. Packers know this. Good luck to Kirk. Can we beat Aaron Rodgers himself?

3. Which pass rush is going to show up? – Both the Packers and Vikings have good offensive lines. Some Packers fans might disagree, but both rank near the top ten as a pass-blocking offensive line. Both teams also have good pass rushes, thus, this game might come down to which one can pressure the quarterback and create problems. With Rodgers’ pressure, it is throwaways and wasted possessions. With Cousins, it is turnovers.

PREDICTED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Davante Adams – I’m all over Adams. I think the prop bets for him are a complete go and think he’s going to eat. Adams is going to have a big-time game. The toe injury shouldn’t be an issue in a climate-controlled stadium. We already went over what he did against Rhodes and think he will add to it on Monday.

PREDICTION
This is going to be a really fun, playoff-like game. I have the Packers winning this one though. Vikings’ best wins of the year are against Dallas and Philadelphia. Packers dominated Minnesota in Week 2 and sadly let Minnesota creep in at the end. Green Bay gets ahead early and hangs on despite many Cousins’ attempts.

Green Bay 27 Minnesota 23.

Charlie.