The Minnesota Vikings don’t have much time to appreciate their second division championship of the Mike Zimmer Era.
Players normally speak about a 24-hour rule, during which they allow themselves to process the previous game — reflect, celebrate, wallow — and then move on. Those 24 hours instead seemed like 24 minutes after Minnesota’s 34-7 drubbing of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Before players had the time to take the tags off their NFC North Champion hats, they were fielding questions about their next opponent.
Five days from now, the Vikings head to Lambeau Field for a Week 16 showdown with the Green Bay Packers, who walloped Minnesota right before Christmas last season to eliminate them from the playoff hunt.
It might be the Vikings’ turn to sink the dagger into their rival. Green Bay needs an Atlanta Falcons win Monday night to stay mathematically alive.
While Minnesota might relish the chance to finish off the Packers if they survive Week 15, a Falcons loss might give Green Bay a pulse and ensure an Aaron Rodgers start.
The two-time MVP returned Sunday after missing eight weeks following a collarbone injury sustained from a hit by Anthony Barr in Week 6. He threw three interceptions in a 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, putting the Packers on the brink of elimination.
Nonetheless, Rodgers may have an ax to grind with Barr after the two went public with stories of how the other person was unsportsmanlike following the injury. Rodgers accused Barr of giving him the middle finger, but Barr claims he was only responding to expletives from Rodgers.
I feel like he’s going to play,” said defensive tackle Linval Joseph. “I feel like he’s got something to prove, and I kind of want him to play because it would be more of a challenge.”
Vikings fans might rest easier facing backup Brett Hundley.
Minnesota’s defense wreaked havoc on the young quarterback in his first extended playing time, intercepting him three times and sacking him four times in the Vikings’ 23-10 win.
Hundley is 32nd in yards per attempt (6.09), better than only Brian Hoyer, DeShone Kizer and Joe Flacco. He’s one of just seven quarterbacks with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 1:1 or worse (8 TDs, 8 INTs).
Rodgers has historically dominated the Vikings at Lambeau Field, sporting a lifetime record of 6-2 with 19 touchdowns against four interceptions.
“We’re going to go into a hostile environment,” said pass rusher Brian Robison. “They’re going to give us their best shot, so we’ve got to be ready to play.”
There’s plenty at stake playoff-wise for the Vikings, which might also prompt the Packers to accept the spoiler role.
While most of the 66,000-plus fans at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday erupted upon seeing the Packers’ deficit, Green Bay’s loss complicated things for Minnesota. The Panthers are still one game back of the Vikings and would possess the tiebreaker if they caught Minnesota and passed the New Orleans Saints for the NFC South title.
If the Vikings lose Saturday and Carolina beats the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Minnesota would no longer control its own destiny to get a bye week in the playoffs.
“We’re still playing for seeding,” said Zimmer. “If possible, we would like to play every game in U.S. Bank Stadium. I know we’re going to get one, but we’re kind of greedy.”
Between Rodgers’ beef with the Barr and the potential playoff implications, Saturday night’s border battle, played under frigid temperatures, should be as fierce as usual, regardless of the Packers’ fading hopes.
“It’s a division game,” said right guard Joe Berger, simply. “It’s a big game.”
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