As the Vikings prepare to face the Packers at Lambeau Field with the NFC North title on the line, the Vikings have to find a way to get past a team that has mastered its Minnesota rivals in recents years.
Last month, Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway appeared on PFT Live, and I asked him if there’s an intimidation factor that applies when playing the Packers.
“I think there’s some truth to that honestly,” Greenway said. “Really since [Aaron] Rodgers has come in and taken that role over and actually during the time of [Brett] Favre as well. But we just haven’t played that well against them. . . . So I think it’s just the old adage of, you know, the division goes through Green Bay. We have to go there and prove that we can win, we have to prove that we can beat that football team. . . . [W]e have to get over that hurdle and that’s something we didn’t do and we played uncharacteristically in that game [on November 22] and it just kind of goes to show that fact that we need to play better against them specifically. . . . But again there’s some truth to that for sure.”
The Vikings last beat the Packers in Week 17 of the 2012 season at the Metrodome, setting up a wild-card rematch at Lambeau Field. This year, a loss at Green Bay sets up a rematch there the following week.
Since Greenway arrived as a first-round pick 2006, the Vikings are 4-15-1 against the Packers. If it doesn’t go to 5-15-1 on Sunday night, there’s a chance it will be 4-17-1 by the following Sunday night.