The Green Bay Packers have won five of six games and have a chance to take a big step forward -- both in the NFC playoff race and within the NFC North -- when the Minnesota Vikings come to Lambeau Field for a pivotal division showdown on Sunday. And the majority of experts believe the Packers will get it done in Week 10.
Of the 52 experts reviewed in this space every week, 34 picked the Packers to win straight up, or roughly 65 percent. Jordan Love put himself directly into the NFL MVP conservation at midseason with a heroic effort in New England, and Jonathan Gannon's defense continues taking the ball away from opponents despite not having Micah Parsons. The Vikings have lost back-to-back games and are making another change at quarterback after
trading for Kirk Cousins at Tuesday's deadline. Momentum is clearly on Green Bay's side, but the NFL is a week to week league, and everything can change in an instant, so the Packers need to play their best against a ferocious Vikings and a talented offense that could come alive with a veteran at quarterback.
A review of the Week 10 expert picks of Packers vs. Vikings:
USA Today
Of the six experts at USA Today, two picked the Packers to win.
- Jarrett Bell: Packers, 21-17
- Nick Brinkerhoff: Vikings, 23-20
- Chris Bumbaca: Vikings, 23-20
- Nate Davis: Vikings, 20-17
- Adam Kaufman: Vikings, 20-19
- Nick Middlehurst-Schwartz: Packers, 20-14
ESPN
Of the 11 experts at ESPN, eight picked the Packers to win.
- Matt Bowen: Packers
- Mike Clay: Packers
- Jeremy Fowler: Packers
- Dan Graziano: Vikings
- Kayln Kahler: Vikings
- Pamela Maldonado: Packers
- Eric Moody: Packers
- Jason Reid: Packers
- Ben Solak: Vikings
- Lindsey Thiry: Packers
- Seth Wickersham: Packers
NFL.com
Of the five experts at NFL.com, all five picked the Packers.
- Jeremy Bergman: Packers, 20-16
- Brooke Cersosimo: Packers, 24-22
- Gennaro Filice: Packers, 22-16
- Bobby Kownack: Packers, 24-23
- Dan Parr: Packers, 21-17
From Filice: "After starting the year at 6-0, Minnesota has dropped its last two games. Don’t blame the defense, though. Brian Flores’ fierce unit admirably contained two of the league’s most prolific attacks -- Detroit and Buffalo -- but Kevin O’Connell’s offense couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain. In fact, Carson Wentz’s play was so putrid in Monday night’s home loss to the Bills that the Vikings hit the trade market before Tuesday's deadline, flipping a third-round pick to bring Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota. The last time Kirko Chainz started a game for the Vikes, they beat the Packers at Lambeau Field. Unfortunately, Cousins tore his Achilles in the fourth quarter of that triumph, upending his career and the Vikes’ quarterback situation. Three seasons later, the 38-year-old is back in purple. Can he pick up right where he left off, guiding Minnesota to a rivalry win in Titletown? Well, O'Connell refused to name Cousins as his QB1 on Wednesday, but Matt LaFleur is clear-eyed about the situation.
"He'll be starting," the Packers coach told reporters on Wednesday. "I'm fairly confident of that."
Aren’t we all? Minnesota doesn’t have any time to waste in a wildly competitive NFC North. So, presuming Cousins gets the nod, can he keep up with one of the hottest quarterbacks on the planet? Jordan Love is throwing haymakers at a dizzying rate, as evidenced by the fact that Christian Watson (879) and Matthew Golden (783) currently rank third and fourth in the NFL in receiving yards. But Green Bay's audacious MVP candidate did have two critical fourth-quarter turnovers in the Week 1 loss at Minnesota. Could Flores get the best of Love again? Perhaps. But Cousins faces a stiff challenge of his own, as Green Bay’s defense is really coming together under first-year coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Since the beginning of October, the Packers have given up the third-fewest points per game at 16.7. Cousins ultimately could save this season of Skol -- pre-existing chemistry with KOC/Justin Jefferson is something to believe in -- but it’s a tall task asking him to completely flip the offensive script a few days after he got it. Green Bay evens the season score."
MMQB
Of the eight experts at MMQB, seven picked the Packers.
- Albert Breer: Packers
- Eva Geitheim: Vikings
- Mitch Goldich: Packers
- Mike Kadlick: Packers
- Gilberto Manzano: Packers
- Conor Orr: Packers
- John Pluym: Packers
- Matt Verderame: Packers
The Athletic
Of the six experts at The Athletic, all six picked the Packers.
- Jon Greenberg: Packers
- Chad Graff: Packers
- Larry Holder: Packers
- Josh Kendall: Packers
- Steven Louis Goldstein: Packers
- Austin Mock: Packers
CBS Sports
Of the seven experts at CBS Sports, six picked the Packers.
- Pete Prisco: Packers
- Jared Dubin: Packers
- Ryan Wilson: Packers
- John Breech: Packers
- Tyler Sullivan: Vikings
- Dave Richard: Packers
- Jamey Eisenberg: Packers
From Prisco: "The Packers are coming off an impressive road victory over the Patriots and Jordan Love has been on fire. But the Minnesota defense is special and now they have Kirk Cousins to play quarterback. Even so, look for the Packers to win another one as their defense limits Cousins and the offense. Packers 27, Vikings 17"
SB Nation
Of the nine experts at SB Nation, five picked the Packers.
- Mookie Alexander: Packers
- James Dator: Vikings
- David Fucillo: Vikings
- Brandon Gowton: Packers
- Jared Mueller: Vikings
- R.J. Ochoa: Vikings
- Ricky O’Donnell: Packers
- Mark Schofield: Packers
- Matthew Warren: Packers
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: NFL Week 10 expert picks for Packers vs. Vikings: Can GB get big win?
