NFL Green Bay at Minnesota Expert Predictions

A single injury at the start of the season can lead to a tough year for the best of teams, which is exactly what happened to the Green Bay Packers last year. They were considered to be the class of the NFC, and while they had a decent season, their offense seemed a little out of sync with Nelson missing from the line-up. It is the Minnesota Vikings who have to deal with a big loss this year, as QB Teddy Bridgewater went down with an injury that will see him ruled out for the season. The Vikings have been forced to scramble, picking up Sam Bradford via trade, and running with Shaun Hill until such times as Bradford gets the playbook down. It’s certainly not a perfect situation, but Minnesota did manage to clear the first hurdle in Week 1. They will have a tougher time of things this weekend when they host the Packers in an NFC North clash.

In Depth Analysis On The NFL Packers at Vikings Expert Predictions

When: Sunday, September 18 at 8:30 PM EST
Where: US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live
NFL Odds: TBA

Why bet on the Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers will once again be on the road after getting a gritty 27-23 win in Jacksonville in Week 1. It was not a stellar performance on offense from the Packers in that game, having Aaron Rodgers go 20-34 for 199 yards, while the running game chipped in 95 yards on the ground. On a positive note, the run defense of the Packers was exceptional against the Jaguars, allowing just 48 yards on 26 attempts. A little less impressive was the 300 yard given up through the air, but it’s unlikely that the Vikings are going to be able to match that number given their QB woes. If the Packers can stuff the run, they could get another road win here.

Why bet on the Minnesota Vikings

We all knew that the Vikings were going to have a good defense this year, but we may not have believed that they were going to rely on that group for their offense too. The Vikings were down 10-0 at the half in Week 1 versus the Tennessee Titans, and were unable to move the ball with any sort of effectiveness. The tide turned in the second half, with the defense scoring twice off of Titans turnovers, leading the Vikings to a 25-16 come from behind win. Shaun Hill was not particularly efficient at QB, and you have to wonder of Bradford will be ready to go this weekend. Regardless of who starts, the Minnesota defense is once again going to have to be on the ball in order to get the win.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

It has been the Packers who have come away with the win the last two times they made the trip to Minnesota. Both of those games hit the UNDER too, and I believe it will be more of the same this weekend. I like the Packers to win a close one.

Green bay Packers 21 Minnesota Vikings 17