The Minnesota Vikings, led by second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, defied the odds in 2015 to pip the Green Bay Packers to the NFC North title; an impressive achievement that sent shockwaves across the NFL. However, Mike McCarthy’s men look determined to get their hands back on the crown – and they should achieve that aim if they continue to shine on offense.
Last year, the Packers offense struggled to inspire confidence throughout the regular season – even Aaron Rodgers was out of form. Eddie Lacy was one of the most dangerous running backs in football back in 2014 but the Green Bay star suffered after piling the weight on during the summer; and his poor form was a key reason for their sub-par effort.
However, Jordy Nelson’s horrific ACL injury didn’t exactly help the Packers in their bid to win yet another NFC North crown. The Rodgers-Nelson combination is deadly and Green Bay are much better when these men are on the field. With both at their very best, the Packers could finish as one of the top two seeds in the conference – that is how influential they are to Green Bay’s success.
Unfortunately, they’ve had to deal with various injury problems in recent times but the Packers may be on the verge of something special at Lambeau Field this season. In fact, Green Bay are one of the leading contenders to win the Super Bowl at the end of the campaign and Mike McCarthy’s men will be quietly confident of representing the NFC in Houston next February.
The Packers are 8/1 in bet365’s early Super Bowl odds – and the signs so far have been very positive. Nelson, Rodgers and Lacy were all instrumental in Green Bay’s opening weekend victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and attention now turns to their clash with current divisional champions Minnesota. And with Bridgewater ruled out for the entire campaign, the Packers will believe that they can defeat their rivals on their own patch.
Ultimately, Green Bay’s job against Minnesota is simple. Stop Adrian Peterson and the Packers will win. It sounds easy but Peterson is still regarded as one of the best backs in the NFL and he will be ready for this crucial battle. He struggled in Minnesota’s victory over the Tennessee Titans on the opening weekend but Peterson has enjoyed plenty of success against the Packers in years gone by. Can he put up solid numbers against McCarthy’s much-improved defensive unit? Green Bay will be confident of stopping him from running riot.
In fact, the Packers may choose to stack the box and push their safeties up field in a bid to force Mike Zimmer’s side to take to the air a little more than they’d probably like to. The contest won’t decide the destiny of the NFC North but it will show us how potent this Green Bay offense can be when everybody is fighting fit. Watch closely; the Packers could put on a show against their divisional rivals this weekend.
