Minnesota Vikings (+9.5) at Green Bay Packers
Fresh off their upset victory over the Falcons (one of our favorite picks from last week), the Vikings travel to Green Bay. The Packers might have beaten out Minnesota for ‘Most Impressive Week 4 Win’ with their success in Chicago, and now face their third straight division opponent.
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater brings an elusiveness to the position that has dominated draft boards for the past few years, and his athletic ability to escape the rush is eerily reminiscent of Colin Kaepernick‘s. Worth noting, Green Bay is 0-3 against Kaepernick in his career, with arguably the turning points in both playoff games coming from the quarterback’s ability to scramble.
Unfortunately, there is a little sizzle lost to this matchup, as Bridgewater is currently nursing an ankle injury. At the time of this writing, reports are that the rookie will play on Thursday night, but his status is still murky.
Whether or not Bridgewater suits up, the Vikings did more against Atlanta to protect the rookie than set him free. A barrage of screen passes took the pressure off the quarterback and allowed him to put the ball in the hands of the team’s other playmakers. If Minnesota can utilize a similar game plan on Thursday, they can go toe-to-toe with the Packers to the end.
Regardless of quarterback, the Vikings beat the spread, but lose by a touchdown to a better Packers team at Lambeau field.
