Vikings-Packers Predictions Who Wins the

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We made it through another long offseason, everyone. The NFL is back.The Vikings are set to open their season  and the Kevin O'Connell era  on Sunday afternoon against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. It doesn't get much better than that for a Week 1 matchup.The anticipation for this game is off the charts. Not only will the atmosphere in Minneapolis be incredible, this game will set the Andy Welinski Jersey  tone for the next 17 weeks in the race for the NFC North title.Another thing that will make it fun is that there's so much we don't know about both teams. What will O'Connell's offense look like? What about Ed Donatell's defense, with new pieces in Harrison Phillips and Za'Darius Smith up front? For the Packers, who the heck is Aaron Rodgers going to throw the ball to, other  Chris Wideman Men Jersey than Aaron Jones? How good will Green Bay's much-hyped defense be right away?Here are . Now let's get to some predictions, first from myself and then from a variety of national analysts. As a reminder, the Vikings are 1.5-point underdogs in this one.Will's pick: Vikings 30, Packers 27It's hard to feel overly confident in picking the Vikings to beat Aaron Rodgers and company, but I think they'll get it done in the opener. The Vikings are healthy, U.S. Bank Stadium will be rocking, and their advantage at wide receiver can help offset their disadvantage at quarterback. The O'Connell era starts with a narrow victory that causes optimism in Minnesota to skyrocket.National predictions : Two of SI's five pickers  John Pluym and Mitch Goldich are taking the Vikings. Albert Breer, Conor Orr, and Gary Gramling are taking the Packers on the road.Gregg Rosenthal, : Vikings 24, Packers  Giovanni Fiore Jersey 23I have no clue what will happen here. Thats true of every game all season, but each week, theres at least one game where I how little confidence I have beforehand and would beg off a pick if not for editors. Part of the challenge here is the Packers offensive line. If and play (and play well), Green Bay has the best tackle combo in football to counteract Minnesota's edge rush duo of and . If not, the Vikings purple people could eat. Staffackers 26, Vikings 23Just two of B/R's seven pickers are taking the home underdogs.Rodgers doesnt have an elite perimeter playmaker, but head coach Matt LaFleur could transform his offense into a ground-heavy attack, which doesnt bode well for a Vikings defense that ranked 26th against the run in 2021. He called running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon in the backfield. Sure, Za'Darius Smith can rush the pa ser, but the Vikings may need more than Daniel Sprong Jersey  the addition of nose tackle Harrison Phillips to stop Jones and Dillon.Mike Florio, :Vikings 28, Packers 24.The Vikings will instantly be better than they were last year. The Packers may eventually be better, too. It will take them some time to get there, however.Scroll to ContinueMichael David Smith, : Packers 28, Vikings 21The Packers should cruise to their fourth straight NFC North title and get it started with a road win against the second-best team in the Antoine Morand Men Jersey  division.Pete Prisco, ackers 24, Vikings 19 has 13 touchdown pa ses and no picks in his last four games against the Vikings. But he went 2-2 in those games. The difference this time will be the Green Bay defense. That unit has a chance to be special. The Vikings counter with an explosive offense, but in this one that offense doesn't get rolling like it will. Packers take it.Mark Craig, ackers 31, Vikings 20Kirk Cousins won't be the only quarterback in this game who's happy to be rid of Mike Zimmer. Aaron Rodgers vs. the Vikings with Zimmer: 8-7-1. Aaron Rodgers vs. the Vikings without Zimmer: 9-3.Sam Farmer, :Vikings 24, Packers 21Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Irv Smith ... the Vikings have a full array of offensive options. Aaron Rodgers might be the best QB in the league but he needs to find his weapons.Vinnie Iyer, : Vikings 24, Packers 20Kevin O'Connell should be the most succe sful of the rookie coaches as implementing his Rams-enhanced offensive acumen in Minnesota, raising the elite games of wide receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Dalvin Cook. The defense also should play more inspired in a new scheme with a pa s rush revamped by a healthy Danielle Hunter  Adam Henrique Men Jersey and former Packer Za'Darius Smith, plus better secondary help from Patrick Peterson and others.Green Bay's defense and running game will operate well out of the gate to keep it in the game but there will be some key kinks around Aaron Rodgers with a Davante Adams-le Patrick Eaves Women Jersey  s receiving corps. The Vikings sound the early horn at home toward an NFC playoff berth.Seth Walder, : Packers 27, Vikings 17Eric Moody, : Vikings 24, Packers 21What to watch for: Packers quarterback has lit up the Vikings like no other team in his career. His touchdown-to-interception ratio against them (56-to-7) is the best for any qualified quarterback against a single opponent in NFL history, according to Elias Sports Bureau. But his statistical performances haven't always led to victories; he is 15-10-1 overall against the Vikings. If the Vikings win Sunday, will become the first quarterback ever to defeat Rodgers in three consecutive games. Bold prediction: The Vikings will end one of Rodgers' most remarkable streaks by picking him off at least once. Rodgers has thrown 38 touchdown pa ses without an interception against NFC North teams since the start of the 2020 season. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, that's the longest streak of pa Andrej Sustr Kids Jersey  sing TDs without an interception in divisional games in NFL history. But he's breaking in a new group of receivers, and timing could be an i sue early on. Don't be surprised if ex-Packers edge rusher factors into a turnover, whether it's with a quarterback pre sure or a tipped pa s.