Minnesota Vikings Open as Slim Home Favorites vs Hated Rival

By Ted Schwerzler |

Updated: Dec 23, 2024

Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings — Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Another week of NFL football brought another win for the Minnesota Vikings. Lumen Field is not an easy place to play, but Kevin O’Connell’s now 13-2 squad knocked off the Seattle Seahawks anyway. In week 17, the Vikings will go for their 14th victory, and a season sweep over the hated NFC North rival, Green Bay Packers.

Minnesota Vikings poised to knock off the Green Bay Packers again

The Minnesota Vikings traveled to Lambeau Field in late September, for their first matchup of the season vs Green Bay, and left with a 31-29 victory over a 10-4 Packers team that has beaten everyone on its schedule except for the 13-2 Vikings, 13-2 Lions (x2) and 12-3 Eagles. Green Bay plays tonight vs the New Orleans Saints, on Monday Night Football. Depending on how that game turns out, these lines could change rather dramatically.

Sportsbook	Spread	Moneyline	Over/Under
FanDuel	Vikings -1.5	-130	48.5
DraftKings	Vikings -2	-125	48.0
ESPN Bet	Vikings -2	-125	48.5

Updated at 7:12 AM — 12/23/2024

Home field advantage is traditionally worth three points, in the sports gambling world. U.S. Bank Stadium presents a sizable challenge for opposing teams, but the Packers are no pushover, as the early 1.5 to 2.0 point spread suggests.

Both teams are relatively healthy, for now. There are always injuries that pop up on Wednesday’s injury report, and the Packers haven’t even played yet, for week 16. But, Green Bay will play Sunday’s game, on a short week. That could present a slight advantage for the Vikings.

In their first matchup, Sam Darnold threw for 275 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Aaron Jones came up just seven yards shy of the century mark, against his former team, going for 93 yards on 22 carries. Justin Jefferson led the receiving corps with 6 receptions for 85 yards and a TD.

No one will be spared during the Sam Darnold revenge tourpic.twitter.com/j790PjEasS
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 29, 2024

On the other side, Packers QB Jordan Love racked up 389 yards and 4 touchdowns, but the 26-year-old quarterback out of Utah State also threw three interceptions. The Minnesota Vikings held Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs to just 51 yards, on nine carries. We’ll see if they abandoned the run game in week 17, like they did in week four.

If the Vikings can win their final two games of the season, vs the Packers, then the conference-leading Lions, they will secure the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC for the first time since 1998. It’s one week at a time for Minnesota though, and getting up to play the Green Bay Packers is never an issue.