Since beating the defending NFC North champion Detroit Lions on the season's opening weekend, the Green Bay Packers haven't played a single divisional game.
That's about to change in a big way. The Packers play each of their division rivals over the next three weeks.
Green Bay (6-3-1) hosts the Minnesota Vikings (4-6) on Sunday before heading to Detroit for a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Lions (6-4). The Packers end this three-game stretch by hosting
the first-place Chicago Bears (7-3).
“Obviously the divisional games are absolutely critical and you talk about this three-game stretch, but really all that matters is this one game for us right now,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. “I mean, we've just got to focus on what’s right in front of us, and that’s to try to put together the best plan to go out and play a team that I think is an extremely tough football team. Shoot, they put it on us twice last year, so our guys will be motivated.”
This series of three games should indicate how realistic a chance the Packers have of winning their first NFC North title since 2021. They already have matched their NFC North win total from last season, when they went 1-5 against division opponents.
The Packers got some good news Monday on the knee issue that caused Josh Jacobs to exit a 27-20 victory over the New York Giants. LaFleur said Jacobs has a bruised knee and won't need to go on injured reserve.
LaFleur said Jacobs “potentially” could be available for Sunday's game.
“It’s just more or less trying to get the swelling down,” LaFleur said. “And unfortunately, that’s a pretty hard surface over there, and sometimes (that's) the byproduct of that.”
Winning a game in which Green Bay was missing its starting quarterback (Jordan Love) for part of one touchdown series, their leading rusher (Jacobs) for most of the game and their starting center ( Elgton Jenkins ) for the entire game showcased the Packers' depth. ... Even with Jacobs limited to seven carries, the Packers rushed for 128 yards while gaining 5.6 yards per attempt. ... They committed no turnovers.
Bad hands hindered the Packers on both sides of the ball. Several of Love's passes were dropped, and Green Bay's defensive players mishandled a few potential interceptions. ... The Giants followed the blueprint that paid off for Carolina two weeks ago by running the ball effectively and limiting Green Bay's number of possessions. The Packers gave up 142 yards rushing and allowed the Giants to control the ball for more than 35 minutes. ... The Packers have missed a combined four field goals and two extra-point attempts over their last four games.
WR Christian Watson had his first two touchdowns of the season with contested catches of 1 and 17 yards. His second TD put Green Bay ahead for good with 4:02 left. ... Love left briefly with an injury to his left (non-throwing shoulder) but returned and completed two touchdown passes without an interception. ... QB Malik Willis finished one series because of Love's injury and threw the 1-yard touchdown pass to Watson. Willis also had a 16-yard run on a third-and-8 play during that drive. ... WR Savion Williams set up Watson's go-ahead touchdown by making a contested 33-yard reception on third-and-10. ... S Evan Williams intercepted a Jameis Winston pass with 36 seconds left after the Giants had reached the red zone. ... DE Micah Parsons recorded 1 1/2 sacks, with one coming on the game's final play.
WR Malik Heath didn't make the trip to this game because of what the team described as a “coach's decision.” LaFleur declined to specify the reasons for Heath's absence. ... K Lucas Havrisik filled in for an injured Brandon McManus and missed two PATs amid swirling wind. ... TE Luke Musgrave hasn't stepped up his production in the two games since Tucker Kraft tore his ACL. Musgrave's lone catch Sunday resulted in a 1-yard loss and a fumble out of bounds. Another pass to Musgrave was initially ruled a fumble before getting changed to an incompletion.
Along with the Jacobs injury, LB Quay Walker left the Giants game because of a stinger. LaFleur said Walker was day to day. LaFleur added that Love was “definitely sore" but also was “doing good” after coming back from that shoulder problem.
27 — The Packers have scored exactly 27 points in five of their six wins this season.
The Packers try to beat the Vikings at home for the first time since the 2022 season. The Vikings have won in each of their last two trips to Lambeau Field — 24-10 in 2023 and 31-29 in 2024. The Packers haven't lost three straight home games to Minnesota since 1991-93, a stretch that included two games in Green Bay and one in Milwaukee.
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